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

McDowney, 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 McDowney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDowney in America

McDowney is the 77522nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDowney surname appeared 247 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 McDowney.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDowney 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 McDowney

The surname McDowney originated in Ireland, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is a variant of the more common Irish surname Downey, which is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Duánaigh or Ó Donnaidh, meaning "descendant of Donnaidh." Donnaidh is an Irish personal name derived from the Gaelic word "donn," meaning "brown" or "brown-haired."

The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" in McDowney indicates "son of" in Gaelic, suggesting that the name was originally a patronymic surname, referring to the son or descendant of a person named Downey or Donnaidh. The variant spelling "McDowney" likely emerged as a result of anglicization or regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

While there are no definitive historical records mentioning the surname McDowney specifically, the more common spelling "Downey" has been documented in various Irish records and manuscripts from the 16th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century.

Some notable individuals with the surname McDowney throughout history include:

1. James McDowney (1874-1942), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
2. Patrick McDowney (1928-2003), an Irish Catholic priest and human rights activist in Northern Ireland.
3. Liam McDowney (born 1966), an Irish film director and screenwriter known for his work on films like "Intermission" and "The Hole."
4. Michael McDowney (born 1964), an Irish former professional footballer who played for various clubs in England and Ireland.
5. John McDowney (1891-1974), an Irish-American labor union leader and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.

While the surname McDowney is not as common as its parent name Downey, it has a rich history rooted in Irish culture and can be traced back to the Gaelic personal name Donnaidh and its variants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDowney

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

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

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

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