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

Kearney, 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 Kearney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kearney in America

Kearney is the 1730th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kearney surname appeared 20,706 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Kearney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kearney 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 Kearney

The surname Kearney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Catharnaigh, which means 'descendant of Catharnach'. Catharnach was a personal name derived from the Irish word 'catharnach', meaning 'warrior' or 'battler'.

The Kearney name has its roots in County Sligo, Ireland, where the family was part of the ancient Uí Fiachrach dynasty that ruled the region. The Kearneys were one of the principal families of Sligo and held significant territories in the area.

The name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the 12th century. The Annals mention several notable members of the Kearney family, including Donnchadh Ó Catharnaigh, who was described as the Lord of Triath-na-Sionainne (Tírenashingane) in County Sligo in 1180.

The Kearney name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne, a 13th-century document listing landowners in County Cork, which mentions a William de Kerdeny.

Another notable figure with the Kearney name was Patrick Kearney (1597-1661), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1629 to 1661. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and was a supporter of the Catholic Confederacy.

In the 17th century, the Kearney family was among the Catholic landowners who lost their estates during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster. Many Kearneys were forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or emigrate to continental Europe.

John Kearney (1742-1786) was an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought for the Continental Army and was appointed as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Sarah Kearney (1805-1858) was an Irish poet and author, best known for her work "The Bard's Legacy", which was published in 1831. She was born in County Roscommon and her poetry often explored themes of Irish culture and identity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kearney

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

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

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

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