2000
#14,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Meaney
A variant of the Irish surname Ó Maonaigh, meaning "descendant of Maonach," a personal name derived from "maon," meaning "wealth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,168 Americans carry the last name Meaney. That puts it at #15,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meaney 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 Meaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,097
Census rank
#15,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,891 bearers of the surname Meaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meaney
The surname Meaney is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "Ó Máin" or "Ó Maidhne", which means "descendant of Máin". The name Máin is believed to be a pet form of the Irish personal name Mathghamhain, meaning "bear".
The name Meaney is thought to have originated in County Offaly, Ireland, where it is still most prevalent. The first recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a reference to a Gillys O'Mayn in the Annals of Lough Cé in 1233.
In the Fiants of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the name is recorded as "O'Meyny" in 1585. The Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, also mentions the name "O'Mayne" in the 16th century.
The Meaney surname is also found in early records from County Laois, where it is spelled "O'Meana" or "O'Meaney". A notable early bearer of the name was Donnchadh Ó Meanaidh, who was the Bishop of Clonmacnoise from 1480 to 1512.
During the Plantation of Offaly in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Meaney families were displaced from their ancestral lands, leading to the spread of the name throughout Ireland and beyond.
Some notable individuals with the surname Meaney throughout history include:
1. Jeremiah F. Meaney (1853-1924), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the United States House of Representatives.
2. John Meaney (born 1957), a British science fiction and fantasy author known for works such as "Paradox" and "Bone Song".
3. John Meaney (1916-1982), an American actor who appeared in films like "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
4. Mary Meaney (1932-2008), an Irish stage and film actress who appeared in productions like "The Field" and "The Playboy of the Western World".
5. Thomas Meaney (1860-1935), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Jose, California, from 1899 to 1901.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Meaney 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 Meaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,767
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 53
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meaney
Meaney 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
#15,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,958
+88 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 467 places
2020
#15,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,891
-67 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,599 | 1,870 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,066 | 1,958 | 0.66 | +88 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 467 places |
| 2020 | #15,001 | 1,891 | 0.63 | -67 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 65 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 Meaney 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 | #15,066 | #15,001 | 0.4% |
| Count | 1,958 | 1,891 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.63 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meaney bearers went from 1,958 to 1,891 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,066 to #15,001.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Meaney
FAQ
Meaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meaney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,168 living Americans carry the surname Meaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,097 residents.
How common is Meaney?
Meaney ranks #15,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,891 people with the surname Meaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Meaney.
Has Meaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meaney went from 1,958 recorded bearers to 1,891. That is a decrease of 67 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,066 to #15,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Meaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Meaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,767 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Meaney (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 Meaney mean?
A variant of the Irish surname Ó Maonaigh, meaning "descendant of Maonach," a personal name derived from "maon," meaning "wealth." 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 Meaney (0.63 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 Meaney?
Find out how common the surname Meaney is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.