2000
#7,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,004
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Finnerty
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Fionnachta," meaning "descendant of Fionnachta," a personal name meaning "white snow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,542 Americans carry the last name Finnerty. That puts it at #8,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finnerty 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 Finnerty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,463
Census rank
#8,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,961 bearers of the surname Finnerty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finnerty
The surname Finnerty is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fionnachta, derived from the personal name Fionnachta, which means "fair fighter" or "white warrior." This name originated in County Galway, Ireland, during the Middle Ages, and it is believed to have been first adopted by a descendant of the Ó Fionnachta family, a prominent clan in the region.
The earliest known record of the name Finnerty dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. It is possible that the name was also mentioned in earlier documents or manuscripts, such as the Domesday Book, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Finnerty was Seán Ó Fionnachta, who lived in County Galway in the late 16th century. He was known for his role in the Irish Confederate Wars, which took place between 1641 and 1653.
Another notable figure with the name Finnerty was Patrick Finnerty (1798-1879), an Irish-American Catholic priest and author. He was born in County Galway and later immigrated to the United States, where he served as a priest in New York and Philadelphia.
In the 19th century, the name Finnerty was associated with several prominent figures in Ireland and the United States. One of them was William Finnerty (1822-1891), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
Additionally, John Finnerty (1839-1909) was an Irish journalist and author who wrote extensively about Irish nationalism and the Irish struggle for independence. He was born in County Galway and later moved to the United States, where he worked as a newspaper editor and published several books.
Another notable individual with the surname Finnerty was Patrick Joseph Finnerty (1884-1958), an Irish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Helena, Montana, from 1927 until his death in 1958.
As for place names or older spellings associated with the Finnerty surname, there is a townland called Finnerty in County Galway, which likely derived its name from the Ó Fionnachta clan. Additionally, the name has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Finnerty, Finnertie, and Finerty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finnerty
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Finnerty 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 Finnerty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,665
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 148
- Two or more races2.5% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finnerty
Finnerty 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
#8,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,052
+48 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 521 places
2020
#8,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,961
-91 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,663 | 4,004 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,184 | 4,052 | 1.37 | +48 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 521 places |
| 2020 | #8,025 | 3,961 | 1.33 | -91 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 159 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 Finnerty 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 | #8,184 | #8,025 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,052 | 3,961 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.33 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finnerty bearers went from 4,052 to 3,961 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,184 to #8,025.
FAQ
Finnerty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finnerty?
Name Census estimates that about 4,542 living Americans carry the surname Finnerty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,463 residents.
How common is Finnerty?
Finnerty ranks #8,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,961 people with the surname Finnerty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Finnerty.
Has Finnerty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finnerty went from 4,052 recorded bearers to 3,961. That is a decrease of 91 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,184 to #8,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Finnerty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnerty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Finnerty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finnerty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Finnerty (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 Finnerty mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Fionnachta," meaning "descendant of Fionnachta," a personal name meaning "white snow." 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 Finnerty (1.33 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 last name Finnerty?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Finnerty? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.