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

Moloney, 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 Moloney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moloney in America

Moloney is the 10755th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moloney surname appeared 2,967 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 Moloney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moloney 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 Moloney

The surname Moloney has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Cork and Kerry. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, which means "descendant of the devotee of the Church." The name is derived from the Irish words "maol" meaning "devotee" and "domhnach" meaning "church."

The Moloney name can be traced back to the 12th century in Irish records. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle written by the monks of Inisfallen Abbey in County Kerry, which mentions a Maoldomhnaigh in the year 1172.

In the 16th century, the Moloney clan was prominent in the baronies of Magunihy and Duhallow in County Cork. They were allies of the powerful McCarthy clan and played a significant role in the local politics of the region.

An early record of the name appears in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a collection of official documents from the 16th century, which mentions a Patrick Moloney who was granted lands in County Cork in 1589.

One of the earliest known Moloneys was Sir Thomas Moloney, who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland in the late 16th century. He was born around 1540 and played a crucial role in the administration of the Irish legal system during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was Daniel Moloney, an Irish lawyer and politician who lived in the 18th century. He was born in County Cork in 1718 and served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Doneraile from 1761 to 1768.

In the 19th century, William Moloney was a prominent Irish-American politician and lawyer. He was born in County Cork in 1819 and emigrated to the United States in the 1840s. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly and was known for his advocacy of Irish-American rights.

John Moloney was an Irish-born Australian politician and journalist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in County Clare in 1865 and emigrated to Australia in 1886. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.

Finally, Thomas Moloney was an Irish-American bishop who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in County Tipperary in 1858 and emigrated to the United States as a child. He was appointed as the Bishop of San Antonio, Texas, in 1915, a position he held until his death in 1942.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moloney

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

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

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

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