Kehoe
family name
Kehoe, originally spelled MacKehoe (from Irish Mac Eochaidh 'son of Eochaidh', a personal name based on each 'horse'), is an Irish surname that stems from several distinct septs in Ireland.
The most notable branch were from southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster and are descended from Brandub mac Echach, King of Leinster, in the 6th century AD. This branch were the Chief Filí of Leinster up until the 17th century and inaugurated the Kings of Leinster upon their stone called Leac Mhic Eochadha ("Eochaidh's flagstone").
Another unrelated and separate branch, descends from King Domnall Mór Ua Cellaigh of the O'Kellys of Uí Maine, who died in 1221.
Many of their descendants have emigrated to America and have spread throughout that part of the world. The name is spelled in a variety of ways, however the most common are Kehoe, Keogh and Keough. In Ireland the Kehoe version is used most often in and around County Wexford while Keogh is more common throughout the rest of the country.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Kehoe” is family name. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Kehoe, family and name, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “family name” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1315513. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1221.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kehoe”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kehoe primary sources, Kehoe archive and Kehoe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kehoe”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kehoe” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.