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

McInerney, 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 McInerney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McInerney in America

McInerney is the 7446th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McInerney surname appeared 4,473 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McInerney.

We can also compare 2010 data for McInerney 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 McInerney

The surname McInerney is of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the personal name 'Ingram', which itself is a combination of the Old Norse elements 'ing' meaning 'son of' and 'framr' meaning 'vigor' or 'bravery'. The prefix 'Mc' or 'Mac' is a common Scottish and Irish patronymic meaning 'son of'.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the Scottish Highlands, where it was rendered as 'MacInghrame'. Over time, various spelling variations emerged, including MacInearny, MacInirnie, and McInirnie, before settling into the modern form of McInerney.

The name is closely associated with the ancient Scottish clan territory of Arran, an island off the west coast of Scotland, where the McInerneys were prominent landowners and chieftains. The name is also found in historical records from the neighboring regions of Argyll and Bute.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Lachlan McInerney, a prominent Scottish warrior who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English in the early 14th century. His bravery and loyalty were recognized with land grants in the Highlands.

In the 16th century, the McInerney clan played a significant role in the ongoing feuds and conflicts between the Scottish clans. In particular, they were involved in the bitter rivalry between the Clan Donald and Clan Campbell, which culminated in the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many McInerneys emigrated from Scotland to Ulster, Ireland, where they became firmly established, particularly in counties such as Antrim, Down, and Armagh. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Patrick McInerney (1694-1768), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in County Down.

As the Scottish and Irish diaspora spread across the globe, the McInerney name was carried to various parts of the world. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. John McInerney (1819-1894), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1856 to 1857.
2. Ralph McInerny (1929-2010), an American philosopher and novelist, best known for his popular Father Dowling mystery series.
3. Vivian McInerney (1901-1992), an Australian nurse and matron who played a crucial role in caring for victims of the Banka Island massacre during World War II.
4. Dermot McInerney (born 1937), an Irish hurler who played for the Tipperary senior hurling team and won three All-Ireland medals.
5. Jeremy McInerney (born 1981), an Australian professional basketball player who has represented the Australian national team and played in various leagues around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McInerney

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

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

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

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