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Greetings,
Here's the information we have on the name "Kerins."
"Kerins" appears to be a patronymic form of the Gaelic name "Ciaran;" in other words, it means "son of Ciaran." "Ciaran" is a diminuitive form of the name "Ciar," which does mean "black." However, "Ciaran" was a fairly popular name, and there's no evidence that it was limited to dark people. As in English, names were used for their own sakes more than because of their meaning. Generally, "Ciaran" means "Ciaran," not "little dark person."
There is a tradition which ascribes Spanish ancestry to some Irish families, but none of the stories have held up under critical examination. It's generally agreed that there's no truth to the idea that any Irish families have noticable Spanish ancestry.
We hope this has been helpful.
Sincerely,
Alan Terlep
Academy of S. Gabriel