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

McNerney, 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 McNerney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNerney in America

McNerney is the 12833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNerney surname appeared 2,400 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McNerney.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNerney 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 McNerney

The surname McNerney is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac an Airchinnigh, meaning "son of the erenagh" or "son of the hereditary landlord." The name traces its roots back to the 12th century in County Sligo, Ireland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The manuscript mentions a Gillacrist Mac an Airchinnigh, who was the erenagh (church landlord) of Cluain Cairpri in County Sligo in the year 1171.

As the name evolved over time, it took on various spellings, such as McNerny, McNernie, and McNerny. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the anglicization of Irish names during the English conquest of Ireland.

One notable figure in the history of the McNerney surname was Dermot McNerney (c. 1510-1585), an Irish nobleman who served as the Lord of Coolavin in County Sligo. He was a prominent figure during the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland and was known for his resistance against English rule.

Another historical figure was John McNerney (1789-1857), an Irish-born journalist and political activist who emigrated to the United States. He founded the first Catholic newspaper in Philadelphia, The Catholic Herald, and was a vocal advocate for Irish immigrants' rights.

In the 19th century, during the Great Famine in Ireland, many McNerneys were among the millions who fled to America and other parts of the world in search of better opportunities. One such individual was Patrick McNerney (1817-1899), who settled in New York City and became a successful businessman and philanthropist.

The name has also been associated with several geographical locations in Ireland, such as McNerney's Bog in County Sligo and McNerney's Lough in County Monaghan, reflecting the historical presence of the family in these areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname McNerney include James McNerney (born 1949), an American business executive who served as the CEO of Boeing from 2005 to 2015, and Kelly McNerney (born 1988), an Australian professional soccer player who played for the Australian national team.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNerney

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

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

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

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