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

Draney, 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 Draney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Draney in America

Draney is the 32994th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Draney surname appeared 694 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 Draney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Draney 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 Draney

The surname Draney is believed to have originated in England, likely in the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is thought to be a locative surname, derived from a place name, which was a common practice in the naming conventions of that time.

One possible origin of the name Draney could be from the Old English word "draen," meaning a drain or a watercourse. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a drainage system or a small stream. Alternatively, it could be a variant spelling of the name "Drayner," which might be related to the occupation of a drayman, someone who drives a dray or a low, flat-bed wagon.

In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded instance of the surname Draney appears to be in the parish records of Gloucestershire, England, in the late 16th century. There are also mentions of the name in the Hearth Tax records of the 17th century, which were a form of census conducted at the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Draney was John Draney, who was born in Gloucestershire around 1580. Another notable figure was William Draney, a merchant from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 17th century and was involved in the transatlantic trade.

In the 18th century, there were several Draney families living in the county of Somerset, England. One prominent individual was Thomas Draney (1742-1815), a landowner and farmer from the village of Shepton Mallet.

During the 19th century, the name Draney spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. James Draney (1812-1887) was a Scottish-born civil engineer who worked on various infrastructure projects in India during the British Raj.

Another notable figure was Mary Draney (1854-1932), an Irish-American educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's rights in New York City. She co-founded the Interborough Equal Franchise League and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

While the surname Draney is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England and has been carried by individuals across various professions and locations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Draney

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

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

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

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