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

Delaney, 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 Delaney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Delaney in America

Delaney is the 1057th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Delaney surname appeared 33,218 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Delaney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Delaney 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 Delaney

The surname Delaney has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Dulaine" or "O'Dulanty," which translates to "descendant of the leader" or "descendant of the challenger."

The name is believed to have originated in County Laois, a region in the eastern part of Ireland. The prefix "O" in the original Gaelic form indicates that the name belonged to one of the ancient Celtic clans that ruled various parts of the country before the Norman invasion.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a celebrated medieval chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century. These annals mention several individuals with the name Delaney, such as Donough O'Dulanty, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 13th century.

Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Delany, Delaunie, Delauny, and Delaunie, reflecting the influence of different languages and dialects in Ireland. The modern spelling, Delaney, became more standardized in the 17th and 18th centuries.

One notable figure bearing the Delaney surname was Patrick Delaney (1685-1768), an Irish Franciscan friar who played a significant role in the establishment of the Catholic Church in the United States. He is considered one of the founders of the first Catholic parish in New York City.

Another prominent individual was Mary Delaney (1700-1788), an English artist and courtier known for her intricate paper mosaics and her correspondence with prominent figures of the time, including Jonathan Swift and Mary Granville.

In the realm of literature, Shelagh Delaney (1938-2011) was a renowned English dramatist and screenwriter, best known for her play "A Taste of Honey," which explored societal issues such as race, class, and gender identity.

The name Delaney has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Delaney's Glen in County Tipperary and Delaney's Rock in County Wicklow, further reinforcing its deep-rooted connection to the Irish landscape and history.

Throughout the centuries, the Delaney surname has spread across the globe, carried by Irish emigrants who settled in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Delaney

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

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 Delaney 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 Delaney 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 Delaney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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