2000
#8,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Blaney
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Blánáin, meaning "descendant of Blánán," a diminutive of blán, meaning "little wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,968 Americans carry the last name Blaney. That puts it at #9,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,380 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blaney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,380
Census rank
#9,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,460 bearers of the surname Blaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blaney
The surname Blaney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Blanaidh, meaning "descendant of Blanaidh". Blanaidh is believed to be a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "blán", meaning "yellow" or "yellowish-brown". The name is first recorded in the 13th century in County Monaghan, Ireland.
The Blaneys were a prominent family in County Monaghan and held lands in the area of Castleblaney, which takes its name from the family. The earliest documented reference to the name is found in the Annals of Ulster, which mention a "Maelmuire Ua Blanaidh" in the year 1201.
In the 16th century, the Blaney family was heavily involved in the Irish Confederate Wars, with several members fighting alongside the Irish Catholic Confederacy against the English Parliamentarians. One notable figure from this period was Edmond Blaney (c. 1600-1670), a prominent military leader who commanded Irish forces in the siege of Drogheda in 1649.
Another historically significant individual was Sir Edward Blaney (1756-1835), who served as the Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1805 to 1807. He played a crucial role in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and was later appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas Islands.
In the literary realm, the name is associated with the Irish poet and playwright, Padraic Colum (1881-1972), whose full name was Patrick Blaney Colum. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Literary Revival and is best known for his works such as "The Island of Statues" and "The Children of Odin".
Other notable individuals bearing the surname Blaney include Patrick J. Blaney (1894-1968), an American politician who served as the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and John Blaney (1913-1995), an Irish hurler who played for the Kilkenny senior hurling team and won several All-Ireland medals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blaney bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Blaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 3,021
- Black or African American6.1% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 99
- Two or more races2.5% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blaney
Blaney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,854
+230 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#9,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,460
-394 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,386 | 3,624 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,541 | 3,854 | 1.31 | +230 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #9,071 | 3,460 | 1.16 | -394 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 530 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Blaney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,541 | #9,071 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,854 | 3,460 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.16 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blaney bearers went from 3,854 to 3,460 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 530 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,541 to #9,071.
FAQ
Blaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blaney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,968 living Americans carry the surname Blaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,380 residents.
How common is Blaney?
Blaney ranks #9,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,460 people with the surname Blaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Blaney.
Has Blaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blaney went from 3,854 recorded bearers to 3,460. That is a decrease of 394 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,541 to #9,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Blaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (3,021 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Blaney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Blaney mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Blánáin, meaning "descendant of Blánán," a diminutive of blán, meaning "little wolf." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Blaney (1.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Blaney?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Blaney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.