2000
#3,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.49
Uncommon Last name
Feeney
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fionnaoí, meaning "descendant of Fionnagáin," derived from a diminutive of Fionn, meaning "fair-headed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,610 Americans carry the last name Feeney. That puts it at #3,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feeney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Feeney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,305
Census rank
#3,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,252 bearers of the surname Feeney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feeney
The surname Feeney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Fidhnaídhe, meaning "descendant of Fidhnaídh." Fidhnaídh was a personal name derived from the Gaelic elements "fidh" meaning "wood" and "naídhe" meaning "warrior" or "follower." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a profession or status associated with forestry or woodlands.
The Feeney surname first appeared in records in County Sligo, Ireland, where it was a prominent family name during the Middle Ages. The name is also found in other parts of Ireland, particularly in counties Leitrim, Roscommon, and Mayo. Early spellings of the name included O'Feeney, O'Feenay, and O'Feeny.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Feeney name is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a notable figure named Donogh O'Feeney, who was the Chief of Calry in County Sligo in the 14th century.
Another notable Feeney was Turlough O'Feeney, who was appointed the Bishop of Clonfert in County Galway in 1525. He played a significant role in the Irish Reformation and is mentioned in several historical records from that period.
In the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, a Feeney family from County Sligo was granted lands in the Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, for their loyalty to the English crown. This event is recorded in the Book of Survey and Distribution, a record of land grants during the Cromwellian Settlement.
Another notable figure with the Feeney surname was Patrick Feeney (1822-1887), an Irish-American priest and author who founded several Catholic schools and churches in the United States. He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century.
In more recent history, Michael Feeney (1906-1983) was an Irish playwright and novelist from County Sligo. His works, including the play "In the Summer Twilight" and the novel "The Cock and Anchor," explored themes of rural Irish life and culture.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the Feeney surname throughout history, highlighting its Irish origins and the prominence of the name in various regions of Ireland over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feeney
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Feeney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Feeney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 8,537
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 358
- Two or more races2.4% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 76
- Black or African American0.6% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feeney
Feeney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,473
+71 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 3.21
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#3,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,252
-221 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,475 | 9,402 | 3.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,740 | 9,473 | 3.21 | +71 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #3,735 | 9,252 | 3.10 | -221 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Feeney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,740 | #3,735 | 0.1% |
| Count | 9,473 | 9,252 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.21 | 3.10 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feeney bearers went from 9,473 to 9,252 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,740 to #3,735.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Feeney
FAQ
Feeney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feeney?
Name Census estimates that about 10,610 living Americans carry the surname Feeney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,305 residents.
How common is Feeney?
Feeney ranks #3,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,252 people with the surname Feeney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Feeney.
Has Feeney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feeney went from 9,473 recorded bearers to 9,252. That is a decrease of 221 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,740 to #3,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Feeney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Feeney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (8,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feeney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Feeney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Feeney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Fionnaoí, meaning "descendant of Fionnagáin," derived from a diminutive of Fionn, meaning "fair-headed." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Feeney (3.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Feeney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.