2000
#795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,440
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.62
Uncommon Last name
Mahoney
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,352 Americans carry the last name Mahoney. That puts it at #884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahoney 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 Mahoney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,728
Census rank
#884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,677 bearers of the surname Mahoney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahoney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahoney
The surname Mahoney is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Mathghamhna, which means "descendant of Mathghamhan". Mathghamhan was a personal name derived from the Irish words "maith" meaning good or noble, and "gamhan" meaning a calf or bear.
The earliest known bearers of this surname were located in County Cork, particularly in the area around the town of Mahon. This place name is believed to have derived from the same Gaelic root as the surname, indicating that the family may have taken their name from the territory they inhabited.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval chronicle of Irish history. In an entry dated 1171, a certain Mathghamhain Ua Mathghamhna is listed as the Chief of Ui Mathghamhna, a territory located in what is now County Cork.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name began to evolve and variations such as Mahowny, Mahony, and Mahoney became more common. This was largely due to the influence of the English language and the anglicization of Irish names.
Notable individuals with the surname Mahoney throughout history include:
1. Dermot Mahoney (c. 1540-1610), an Irish rebel leader who fought against English rule in Munster during the Desmond Rebellions.
2. Francis Sylvester Mahoney (1804-1866), an American Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
3. Michael Mahoney (1837-1924), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1884 to 1886.
4. Will Mahoney (1892-1967), an American vaudeville performer and comedian known for his pantomime and silent comedy acts.
5. Dorothy Mahoney (1920-2014), an American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
While the surname Mahoney is now found throughout the English-speaking world, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic kingdoms of Ireland, where it was borne by noble families and chieftains for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahoney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahoney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahoney 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 Mahoney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 34,126
- Black or African American4.4% · 1,708
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,318
- Two or more races2.8% · 1,101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahoney
Mahoney 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
#855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,397
+957 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 13.69
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,677
-1,720 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 12.94
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #795 | 39,440 | 14.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #855 | 40,397 | 13.69 | +957 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #884 | 38,677 | 12.94 | -1,720 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 29 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 Mahoney 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 | #855 | #884 | -3.4% |
| Count | 40,397 | 38,677 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 13.69 | 12.94 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahoney bearers went from 40,397 to 38,677 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #855 to #884.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mahoney
FAQ
Mahoney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahoney?
Name Census estimates that about 44,352 living Americans carry the surname Mahoney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,728 residents.
How common is Mahoney?
Mahoney ranks #884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,677 people with the surname Mahoney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Mahoney.
Has Mahoney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahoney went from 40,397 recorded bearers to 38,677. That is a decrease of 1,720 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #855 to #884.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahoney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahoney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mahoney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (34,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahoney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (4.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mahoney (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 Mahoney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf." 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 Mahoney (12.94 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 common is the surname Mahoney?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mahoney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.