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

Lenney, 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 Lenney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lenney in America

Lenney is the 77788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lenney surname appeared 246 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 Lenney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lenney 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 Lenney

The surname Lenney has its origins in England, traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a variant of the name Lennie, which is derived from the Old English word "len" or "lene," meaning a meadow or pasture land.

Lenney is considered a locational surname, suggesting that the name's earliest bearers hailed from a place called Len or Lene. Such place names were common in England during the Middle Ages, often referring to areas of meadowland or grazing fields.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lenney can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, dated around 1327, where a John Lenne is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already established itself in East Anglia by the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Lenney surname appeared in various records across England. Notable examples include William Lenney, born in 1543 in Oxfordshire, and John Lenney, a landowner in Warwickshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines records in 1578.

During the 17th century, the name continued to spread across different regions of England. One notable bearer was Robert Lenney, a merchant from London who was granted a coat of arms in 1634, indicating the family's rising social status.

In the 18th century, the Lenney surname was found in various parishes and records across England. One prominent figure was Thomas Lenney (1720-1786), a renowned architect from Gloucestershire who designed several notable buildings in the county.

The 19th century saw the Lenney name appearing in various parts of the British Empire. One notable individual was Sir George Lenney (1823-1897), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1876 to 1884.

While the Lenney surname is not among the most common in England, it has maintained a presence throughout the country's history, with bearers hailing from various regions and social backgrounds. The name's longevity and versatility reflect the enduring legacy of its locational origins in the English countryside.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lenney

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

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

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

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