2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mceneny
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ionnraic" meaning "son of the upright one" or "son of the virtuous one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Mceneny. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mceneny 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Mceneny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mceneny, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mceneny
The surname McEneny originated in Ireland, specifically in the northern region of Ulster. It is believed to have first appeared around the 12th century, derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Ionnraidh," which translates to "son of Ionnraidh." Ionnraidh is thought to be a personal name derived from the old Irish word "ionradh," meaning "a journey" or "a wandering."
The earliest known recording of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the late 15th century. The entry, dated 1433, mentions a certain "Muircheartach MacEnnery" who was involved in a conflict between rival clans in the region.
As the name spread throughout Ireland, various spellings emerged, including McEnery, McEnerey, and McEniry. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
In the late 16th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families with the surname McEneny were forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or emigrate to other countries due to the confiscation of their lands by English and Scottish settlers.
One notable figure bearing the name was John McEnery (1751-1820), an Irish-born playwright and actor who found success on the London stage in the late 18th century. His most famous work was the comedy "The Heir at Law," which premiered in 1797.
Another individual of note was Michael McEnery (1837-1894), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the 29th Mayor of New Orleans from 1880 to 1882. He was instrumental in modernizing the city's infrastructure and improving public health during his tenure.
In the late 19th century, Patrick McEnery (1858-1935) was a prominent Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 1897 to 1909.
The name also appears in historical records from other parts of the world, likely due to Irish emigration. For example, there are records of a John McEneny who was a merchant and landowner in colonial Australia in the early 19th century.
Additionally, the McEneny name can be found in some early census records from the United States, particularly in areas with large Irish immigrant populations, such as New York and Massachusetts, dating back to the mid-19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mceneny
Among Census respondents with the surname Mceneny, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mceneny 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 Mceneny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mceneny
Mceneny 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,579 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,579 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Mceneny 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mceneny bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Mceneny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mceneny?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Mceneny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Mceneny?
Mceneny ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Mceneny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mceneny.
Has Mceneny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mceneny went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Mceneny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mceneny, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Mceneny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mceneny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mceneny (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 Mceneny mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Ionnraic" meaning "son of the upright one" or "son of the virtuous one". 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 Mceneny (0.04 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 Mceneny?
If you just want to know how many people are called Mceneny, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.