Find out how popular the last name Cloney is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cloney.

Cloney, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cloney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cloney in America

Cloney is the 59603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cloney surname appeared 339 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cloney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cloney to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cloney

The surname Cloney has its origins in Ireland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cloidhne," which means "boundary" or "boundary ditch." This suggests that the name may have initially been a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a boundary or ditch.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Irish Annals, where a Donnell Cloney is mentioned as having participated in a battle in the year 1594. The name also appears in various legal documents and land records from the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in counties such as Cork, Tipperary, and Limerick.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the spelling of the name evolved to include variations like Cloney, Clunie, and Clooney. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Scottish surname Cluny, which has a similar pronunciation but a different origin.

One notable figure associated with the Cloney surname is John Cloney (1609-1660), an Irish Catholic priest and Confederate leader during the Irish Confederate Wars. He played a significant role in the defense of Limerick against the Parliamentarian forces and was eventually executed for his involvement in the conflict.

Another prominent individual was Michael Cloney (1793-1867), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in Ireland and was known for his advocacy of Catholic education rights.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Cloney surname dates back to the late 18th century, when several individuals with this name arrived from Ireland as immigrants. One such individual was John Cloney (1765-1842), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.

Other notable figures with the Cloney surname include:

1. Patrick Cloney (1826-1901), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
2. Michael Cloney (1847-1925), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who founded schools in Massachusetts.
3. James Cloney (1858-1934), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the American Federation of Labor.
4. Patrick Cloney (1877-1959), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to Catholic charities and educational institutions.
5. Margaret Cloney (1909-1988), an Irish-American writer and journalist who published several works of fiction and non-fiction.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cloney

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cloney.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cloney was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cloney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cloney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cloney, please contact us.

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