2000
#1,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.39
Uncommon Last name
Kearney
Derived from the Irish Ó Catharnaigh, meaning "descendant of Catharnach," a personal name meaning "warlike" or "soldier-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,320 Americans carry the last name Kearney. That puts it at #1,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kearney 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 Kearney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,356
Census rank
#1,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,464 bearers of the surname Kearney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kearney
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kearney 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 Kearney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 14,268
- Black or African American18.8% · 3,650
- Two or more races3.7% · 724
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 626
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kearney
Kearney 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
#1,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,706
+768 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.02
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,464
-1,242 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 6.51
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,647 | 19,938 | 7.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,730 | 20,706 | 7.02 | +768 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,805 | 19,464 | 6.51 | -1,242 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 75 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 Kearney 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 | #1,730 | #1,805 | -4.3% |
| Count | 20,706 | 19,464 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.02 | 6.51 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kearney bearers went from 20,706 to 19,464 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,730 to #1,805.
FAQ
Kearney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kearney?
Name Census estimates that about 22,320 living Americans carry the surname Kearney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,356 residents.
How common is Kearney?
Kearney ranks #1,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,464 people with the surname Kearney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Kearney.
Has Kearney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kearney went from 20,706 recorded bearers to 19,464. That is a decrease of 1,242 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,730 to #1,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Kearney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kearney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (14,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kearney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (18.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kearney (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 Kearney mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Catharnaigh, meaning "descendant of Catharnach," a personal name meaning "warlike" or "soldier-like." 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 Kearney (6.51 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 Kearney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Kearney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.