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

Doney, 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 Doney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Doney in America

Doney is the 11474th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Doney surname appeared 2,743 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 Doney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Doney 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 Doney

The surname Doney has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dun," meaning a hill or a down, and the suffix "-ey," which signifies an island or a place surrounded by water.

The name was initially associated with people who resided near a hill or a down, particularly those located near bodies of water such as rivers or streams. It is thought that the earliest bearers of the name were inhabitants of areas with such geographical features.

Historical records show that the name Doney appeared in various forms and spellings throughout the centuries. Some of the earliest recorded instances include Richard de Doney, who lived in Lincolnshire in 1273, and John Dony, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Doney surname can also be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already established itself in England by the 11th century.

Notably, the name Doney has been associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such figure was John Doney, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St John's College, Cambridge, from 1535 to 1549.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Doney, a 17th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire between 1640 and 1653. He played a significant role in the English Civil War and was a prominent supporter of the Parliamentarian cause.

In the 18th century, James Doney (1720-1789) was a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. George's Bloomsbury and the former Middlesex Hospital.

Moving into the 19th century, William Doney (1809-1889) was a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing significantly to the mapping and exploration of those areas.

Lastly, in the 20th century, John Doney (1915-1995) was a renowned British playwright and screenwriter, best known for his works such as "The Judas Tree" and "The Naked Runner," which were adapted into successful films.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Doney

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

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

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

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