2000
#14,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,895
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Mahony
Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Ó Mathghamhna," meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "math" (bear) and "gamhain" (calf).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,222 Americans carry the last name Mahony. That puts it at #14,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahony 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 Mahony with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,255
Census rank
#14,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,938 bearers of the surname Mahony in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahony, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahony
The surname MAHONY is an anglicized version of the Irish name Ó Mathghamhna, which originated in County Cork, Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish word "mathghamhan," meaning "bear-calf" or "descendant of the bear."
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled Ó Mathghamhna or Ó Mahúna, reflecting the pronunciation of the Irish language. As the name spread to English-speaking areas, it evolved into various spellings such as Mahony, Mahoney, and Mahon.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, an Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention a member of the Ó Mathghamhna family as early as 1135 AD.
The name MAHONY has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent was Daniel Mahony (1650-1714), an Irish Jacobite and soldier who served in the armies of James II and later fought in the War of the Spanish Succession.
Another notable figure was Francis Sylvester Mahony (1804-1866), an Irish writer and journalist who wrote under the pen name "Father Prout." He is best known for his work "The Reliques of Father Prout," which satirized various literary and political figures of the time.
In the 19th century, Charles Mahony (1800-1891) was an Irish-born Australian politician and explorer. He played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Australian state of Victoria and served as the first Speaker of the Legislative Council of Victoria.
The name MAHONY has also been associated with religious figures, such as Michael Mahony (1824-1892), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first Bishop of Armidale in Australia, and John Mahony (1785-1866), an Irish Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh in Ireland.
Additionally, the name has been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Mahonbrook, a townland in County Cork, and Mahon Falls, a waterfall located near the town of Killarney, also in County Cork.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahony
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahony, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahony 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 Mahony surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,750
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 79
- Two or more races3.3% · 63
- Black or African American1.4% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahony
Mahony 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
#14,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,976
+81 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 516 places
2020
#14,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,938
-38 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,449 | 1,895 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,965 | 1,976 | 0.67 | +81 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 516 places |
| 2020 | #14,709 | 1,938 | 0.65 | -38 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 256 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 Mahony 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 | #14,965 | #14,709 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,976 | 1,938 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.65 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahony bearers went from 1,976 to 1,938 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,965 to #14,709.
FAQ
Mahony surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahony?
Name Census estimates that about 2,222 living Americans carry the surname Mahony. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,255 residents.
How common is Mahony?
Mahony ranks #14,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,938 people with the surname Mahony. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Mahony.
Has Mahony become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahony went from 1,976 recorded bearers to 1,938. That is a decrease of 38 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,965 to #14,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahony?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahony, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mahony in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahony appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mahony (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 Mahony mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Ó Mathghamhna," meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "math" (bear) and "gamhain" (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 Mahony (0.65 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 surname Mahony?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.