Submitted Name Save Type Surname (from nickname) Usage Irish, English Edit Status Status [show contributorhide contributor] Added 6/19/2017 by TanorFaux Meaning & History Irish: see Keeley. English: nickname from Middle English keling ‘young codfish’. Americanized spelling of German Kühling, a patronymic from Colo, probably a short form of an old personal name meaning ‘helmet’.