2000
#32,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Cagney
An occupational English surname derived from the Old French cagnier meaning "baker" or "dealer in cages".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 735 Americans carry the last name Cagney. That puts it at #37,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 466,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cagney 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.
Bearers in the US
735
1 in 466,332
Census rank
#37,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
641
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 641 bearers of the surname Cagney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cagney
The surname Cagney is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "Cathánaigh," which means "son of Cathán" or "little warrior." The name was likely taken on by descendants of a person named Cathán.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cagney can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a Malachias Cathanach, a leader who lived in the late 12th century.
In the 16th century, the Cagney family held lands in the Barony of Rathconrath, County Westmeath. The name appears in various records from that time, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Irish Monastic Possessions.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Cagney, born in 1566 in Rathconrath, County Westmeath. He was a prominent landowner and member of the Irish gentry.
Another historical figure with the Cagney surname was Patrick Cagney, born in 1677 in County Westmeath. He was a renowned scholar and author who published several works on Irish history and language.
The name Cagney has also had various spelling variations over the centuries, including Caghney, Caghnay, and Cagney. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the pronunciation of the name in different regions of Ireland.
In more recent times, the Cagney surname gained international recognition through the actor James Cagney (1899-1986), who rose to fame in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. He starred in numerous classic films, including "The Public Enemy" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy," for which he won an Academy Award.
Other notable individuals with the Cagney surname include John Cagney (1913-1986), an Irish-American actor and brother of James Cagney; Jeanne Cagney (1919-1984), an American actress and sister of James Cagney; and Carey Cagney (1899-1986), an American vaudeville performer and brother of James Cagney.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cagney
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cagney 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 Cagney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 588
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 29
- Two or more races2.5% · 16
- Black or African American1.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cagney
Cagney 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
#34,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 658
-7 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,860 places
2020
#37,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 641
-17 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,936 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,567 | 665 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,427 | 658 | 0.22 | -7 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 1,860 places |
| 2020 | #37,363 | 641 | 0.21 | -17 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 2,936 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 Cagney 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 | #34,427 | #37,363 | -8.5% |
| Count | 658 | 641 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.21 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cagney bearers went from 658 to 641 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 2,936 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,427 to #37,363.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cagney
FAQ
Cagney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cagney?
Name Census estimates that about 735 living Americans carry the surname Cagney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 466,332 residents.
How common is Cagney?
Cagney ranks #37,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 641 people with the surname Cagney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cagney.
Has Cagney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cagney went from 658 recorded bearers to 641. That is a decrease of 17 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,427 to #37,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Cagney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Cagney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cagney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Cagney (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 Cagney mean?
An occupational English surname derived from the Old French cagnier meaning "baker" or "dealer in cages". 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 Cagney (0.21 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 Cagney?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Cagney at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.