2000
#8,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Loney
Derived from a place name meaning "lone tree" or "isolated clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,909 Americans carry the last name Loney. That puts it at #9,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loney 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 Loney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 87,683
Census rank
#9,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,409 bearers of the surname Loney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loney
The surname Loney has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word "lone," meaning a lane or path. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a lane or path.
Loney is a variant spelling of the more common surname Loney, which was found in various records from the medieval period. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Thomas de la Lone."
During the 14th century, the name was recorded in various forms, such as "Atte Lone" and "Attlone," indicating its connection to a specific geographic location or landmark. The prefix "atte" was commonly used at that time to denote someone living near a particular place.
In the 15th century, the surname Loney began to appear more frequently in historical records. One notable figure from this period was John Loney, who was born around 1420 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the local gentry.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Inquisitiones Post Mortem, a collection of medieval documents relating to land ownership and inheritance. In 1487, a Thomas Loney from Berkshire was mentioned in these records.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Loney surname continued to be documented in various parts of England. One notable individual was Sir William Loney, born in 1568 in Oxfordshire, who served as a member of Parliament and was knighted for his service to the Crown.
In the 18th century, the Loney family had established itself in various regions of England, with recorded instances of the name in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable figure from this period was Robert Loney, born in 1712 in Yorkshire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.
As the name spread across England, it also underwent variations in spelling, including Loney, Lonee, and Lony. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation preferences.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Loney surname, including:
1. Richard Loney (1574-1640), an English clergyman and author.
2. Mary Loney (1745-1819), a writer and poet from Gloucestershire.
3. John Loney (1787-1862), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. William Loney (1809-1888), a renowned mathematician and author of several influential textbooks.
5. Alice Loney (1888-1965), a British actress and stage performer.
While the surname Loney is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with roots in Old English and connections to various regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loney
Among Census respondents with the surname Loney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Loney 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 Loney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 2,502
- Black or African American16.3% · 556
- Two or more races3.9% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loney
Loney 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
#9,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,624
+219 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 175 places
2020
#9,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,409
-215 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,848 | 3,405 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,023 | 3,624 | 1.23 | +219 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 175 places |
| 2020 | #9,191 | 3,409 | 1.14 | -215 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 168 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 Loney 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 | #9,023 | #9,191 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,624 | 3,409 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.14 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loney bearers went from 3,624 to 3,409 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,023 to #9,191.
FAQ
Loney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,909 living Americans carry the surname Loney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,683 residents.
How common is Loney?
Loney ranks #9,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,409 people with the surname Loney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,909), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Loney.
Has Loney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loney went from 3,624 recorded bearers to 3,409. That is a decrease of 215 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,023 to #9,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Loney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Loney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (2,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Black (16.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Loney (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 Loney mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lone tree" or "isolated clearing" in Old English. 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 Loney (1.14 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 Loney?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Loney at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.