2000
#10,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Moloney
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of the Church."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,254 Americans carry the last name Moloney. That puts it at #10,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moloney 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 Moloney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,333
Census rank
#10,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,838 bearers of the surname Moloney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moloney
Among Census respondents with the surname Moloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Moloney 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 Moloney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,624
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 106
- Two or more races2.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moloney
Moloney 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
#10,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,967
+147 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 302 places
2020
#10,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,838
-129 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,453 | 2,820 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,755 | 2,967 | 1.01 | +147 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 302 places |
| 2020 | #10,743 | 2,838 | 0.95 | -129 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 12 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 Moloney 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 | #10,755 | #10,743 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,967 | 2,838 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.95 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moloney bearers went from 2,967 to 2,838 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,755 to #10,743.
FAQ
Moloney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moloney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,254 living Americans carry the surname Moloney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,333 residents.
How common is Moloney?
Moloney ranks #10,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,838 people with the surname Moloney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Moloney.
Has Moloney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moloney went from 2,967 recorded bearers to 2,838. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,755 to #10,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Moloney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Moloney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,624 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moloney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Moloney (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 Moloney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of the Church." 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 Moloney (0.95 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 are called Moloney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Moloney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.