Oney
A diminutive form of the name Anthony, of Latin origin meaning "priceless one."
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Oney. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 64.1% of registrations being male. The average person named Oney today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oney births was 1919 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oney. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Oney is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Oneys were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1919
13 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1956 SSA rank
#3,441
Tracked since 1884
Census
Oney in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 233 people with the first name Oney, which placed it at #34,862 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,862
National first-name rank
People counted
233
233 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
50.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oney
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oney is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (33.5%) and Black (12.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Oney described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Oney at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino50.2% · 117
- White33.5% · 78
- Black or African American12.9% · 30
- Two or more races2.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Oney
Oney is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 170 total registrations, 109 (64.1%) were male and 61 (35.9%) were female.
Oney as a male name
- Ranked #3,441 in 1956
- 7 male births in 1956
- Peak: 1916 (8 births)
Oney as a female name
- Ranked #3,701 in 1939
- 7 female births in 1939
- Peak: 1929 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Oney on both sides of the split. Of the 234 people counted with this name, 174 were male (74.4%) and 60 were female (25.6%).
Popularity
Oney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oney from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 69 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oney by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oney
The given name Oney has its origins rooted in the ancient Celtic languages, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Irish word "oan," which translates to "lamb" or "young sheep." This connection to nature and pastoral imagery is a common theme among many Celtic names.
In the early centuries of the first millennium, Oney was predominantly used in Ireland and parts of Scotland, where Celtic culture and traditions held strong. As time progressed, the name spread to other regions influenced by Celtic migration, including parts of Wales and Cornwall in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oney can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. Here, an entry from the 7th century mentions an individual named Oney mac Fergus, suggesting the name's usage during that era.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Oney. In the 9th century, Oney of Clonmacnoise was a renowned Irish monk and scholar who made significant contributions to the preservation of ancient manuscripts and the advancement of education within monastic institutions.
During the High Middle Ages, Oney mac Lochlainn (1032-1121) was a prominent Irish king who ruled over the Kingdom of Ailech, which encompassed parts of modern-day Ulster and Donegal. His reign was marked by territorial expansion and military victories against rival clans.
In the 15th century, Oney Mór Ó Néill (1465-1519) was a notable Irish chieftain from the powerful Ó Néill dynasty. He played a crucial role in the political and military affairs of Ulster, often engaging in conflicts with English forces and other Irish clans.
Moving forward to the 17th century, Oney O'Donnell (1573-1628) was an Irish nobleman and military leader who fought against English rule in Ireland. He led rebel forces during the Nine Years' War and sought alliances with Spain and other Catholic powers to support the Irish cause.
Another significant figure bearing the name Oney was Oney O'Moore (1615-1644), an Irish Confederate leader who played a prominent role in the Irish Confederate Wars against English Parliamentarian forces in the 1640s. His military prowess and strategic leadership earned him a reputation as a formidable commander.
While the name Oney has diminished in popularity in recent times, its historical significance and connection to Celtic heritage remain an integral part of its legacy. The name evokes images of pastoral landscapes, ancient traditions, and the enduring spirit of the Celtic people.
People
Oney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oney as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oney going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Oney a common name?
We classify Oney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 170 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oney most popular?
The single biggest year for Oney was 1919, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oney is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Oney in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 233 people with the name Oney, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,862 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Oney in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Oney?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Oney on both sides of the split. Of the 234 people counted with this name, 174 were male (74.4%) and 60 were female (25.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Oney?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oney is Hispanic at 50.2%. The next largest groups are White (33.5%) and Black (12.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Oney most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Oney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (117 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Oney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oney a male name?
Yes, 64.1% of people registered as Oney in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Oney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oney in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Oney can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Oney?
See how many Americans are named Oney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.