2000
#7,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Mcinerney
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Airchinnigh," meaning "son of the erenagh," a manager of church property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,050 Americans carry the last name Mcinerney. That puts it at #7,298 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcinerney 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 Mcinerney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 67,872
Census rank
#7,298
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,404 bearers of the surname Mcinerney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7298th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinerney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcinerney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinerney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcinerney 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 Mcinerney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 4,128
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 129
- Two or more races1.9% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcinerney
Mcinerney 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
#7,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,473
+127 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 353 places
2020
#7,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,404
-69 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,093 | 4,346 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,446 | 4,473 | 1.52 | +127 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 353 places |
| 2020 | #7,298 | 4,404 | 1.47 | -69 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 148 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 Mcinerney 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 | #7,446 | #7,298 | 2.0% |
| Count | 4,473 | 4,404 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.47 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcinerney bearers went from 4,473 to 4,404 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,446 to #7,298.
FAQ
Mcinerney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcinerney?
Name Census estimates that about 5,050 living Americans carry the surname Mcinerney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,872 residents.
How common is Mcinerney?
Mcinerney ranks #7,298 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,404 people with the surname Mcinerney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,050), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Mcinerney.
Has Mcinerney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcinerney went from 4,473 recorded bearers to 4,404. That is a decrease of 69 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,446 to #7,298.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcinerney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcinerney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcinerney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (4,128 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcinerney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Mcinerney (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 Mcinerney mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Airchinnigh," meaning "son of the erenagh," a manager of church property. 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 Mcinerney (1.47 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 Mcinerney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.