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

Disney, 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 Disney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Disney in America

Disney is the 9006th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Disney surname appeared 3,631 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Disney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Disney 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 Disney

The surname Disney originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French surname "d'Isigny", which referred to someone who came from the town of Isigny in Normandy, France. Over time, the spelling evolved to become Disney.

The earliest known record of the Disney name dates back to the 13th century in Oxfordshire, England. A record from 1292 mentions a William de Isney who held lands in that county. The name also appears in Lancashire, where a Roger de Isney is mentioned in documents from 1324.

In the 14th century, there are references to the Disney family owning lands and properties in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. A John Disney was listed as a landowner in Inglesham, Berkshire, in 1327. Around the same time, a Robert Disney is recorded as holding property in Stewkley, Buckinghamshire.

The Disney surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a Norman landowner named Isney or Isigny who held estates in Essex and Suffolk after the Norman Conquest.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Disney surname was Sir William Disney (c.1400-1460), a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.

Another notable early Disney was Sir Edward Disney (1519-1608), who served as Groom of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a Member of Parliament for Berkshire and held lands in Lincolnshire.

In the 17th century, Reverend John Disney (1677-1729) was an Anglican clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham. He was also a chaplain to King George I.

During the American Revolutionary War, Reverend John Disney (1746-1816), the great-grandson of Reverend John Disney, served as a chaplain in the Continental Army and was present at the Battle of Yorktown.

In the 19th century, David Theophilus Disney (1803-1857) was a British artist and painter who exhibited works at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Disney

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

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

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

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