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

Earney, 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 Earney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Earney in America

Earney is the 39352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Earney surname appeared 559 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 Earney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Earney 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 Earney

The surname Earney originated from the Irish Gaelic name Ó hÍrne, which is derived from the old Irish word éarna, meaning "anvil" or "iron mass". This suggests that the name was initially associated with blacksmiths or ironworkers in Ireland.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Earney can be traced back to the 16th century in County Leitrim, Ireland. Records from 1569 mention a Dermod O'Herny, who was likely an early ancestor of the Earney family.

In the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a legal document from 1595, the name is spelled as "O'Hearne". This variation in spelling was common in those times, as standardized spellings were not yet established.

One notable bearer of the name was Terence Earney, an Irish soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland (1688-1691). He served under Patrick Sarsfield, the famous Irish Jacobite leader, and was present at the Siege of Limerick in 1691.

In the 18th century, the name Earney appeared in various parish records across County Leitrim and neighboring areas. One such record from 1745 mentions a John Earney, who was a landowner in the townland of Drumkeeran.

Another prominent figure was Reverend James Earney (1808-1887), a Catholic priest and scholar from County Leitrim. He served as the parish priest of Drumreilly and was known for his support of Irish nationalist causes.

The surname Earney also has a connection to the placename Annaduff in County Leitrim. The name is derived from the Irish Áth na nDubh, meaning "ford of the black river", and some Earney families were historically associated with this area.

Throughout the 19th century, many individuals bearing the surname Earney emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia, where their descendants can still be found today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Earney

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

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

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

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