Guiney last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Guiney

A surname of Irish origin derived from a place name or a variant spelling of "MacGuinness."

Guiney, 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 Guiney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guiney in America

Guiney is the 33450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guiney surname appeared 682 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 Guiney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guiney 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank334502680722.05%
Count682853-22.28%
Proportion per 100k0.230.32-32.73%

The history of the last name Guiney

The surname Guiney originated in Ireland, and its roots can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Gríobhtha," meaning "descendant of Gríobhtha," an ancient personal name. This name was likely associated with a prominent family or clan in the region.

In its early days, the name was often spelled as "Grimey" or "Grymey" in various historical records and documents. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of County Meath, dating back to the late 12th century, where a certain "William Grimey" is mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, the Guiney family established roots in County Tipperary, particularly in the area around the town of Cashel. Several members of the family were involved in local governance and held positions of importance within the community.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Guiney surname was John Guiney, a Catholic priest and scholar who lived from 1556 to 1628. He was known for his expertise in canon law and served as the Dean of Cashel Cathedral.

Another prominent individual with the Guiney surname was Sir Patrick Guiney, a military officer who fought in the Irish Confederate Wars during the 17th century. He was born in County Tipperary in 1598 and played a significant role in the defense of Cashel during the siege of 1647.

Moving into the 18th century, Michael Guiney (1720-1788) was a renowned Irish poet and songwriter from County Tipperary. His works were widely celebrated and helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of the region.

In the 19th century, the Guiney family continued to make their mark, with Thomas Guiney (1835-1910) being a notable figure. He was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, representing County Tipperary in the British House of Commons.

Over the centuries, variations of the surname emerged, such as "Guiney," "Guinney," and "Guyney," reflecting the fluidity of spelling practices in those times. Additionally, the Guiney name has been linked to various place names in Ireland, including Guiney's Cross and Guiney's Bridge, further solidifying its historical roots in the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guiney

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

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 Guiney was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only95.89%654
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.03%7
Hispanic Origin1.61%11

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 Guiney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White95.89%98.24%-2.42%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races1.03%0.70%38.15%
Hispanic1.61%0.59%92.73%

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

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

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