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

Raney, 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 Raney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raney in America

Raney is the 4038th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raney surname appeared 8,801 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Raney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raney 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 Raney

The surname Raney is of English origin, derived from a Middle English locational name from a place called Raven or Reigny in Lancashire. This name is believed to come from the Old English words "hræfn" meaning raven and "eg" meaning island or dry ground in a marsh.

Records show the earliest known bearer of the name was Alan de Rauenegh, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1195. The name was also found in various forms in other medieval records, such as Raueneye in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1275 and Rauenay in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

One of the earliest known people with the surname Raney was John Raneye, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317. Another early bearer was William Raveneye, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1334.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Raneye, Raney, and Rayney. One notable person from this period was Richard Raney, a merchant from Bristol, who was born around 1540 and died in 1605.

During the 17th century, the surname Raney became more prevalent, particularly in the northern counties of England. One notable bearer was Thomas Raney, a landowner from Yorkshire who was born in 1637 and died in 1712.

In the 18th century, the name spread to other parts of England and began to appear in records in Scotland and Ireland. One notable person was William Raney, a Scottish merchant who lived in Glasgow and was born in 1725 and died in 1798.

As the name became more widespread, it began to be associated with various place names, such as Rainey in Essex, Rainey in Lancashire, and Raney in Shropshire. The name has also been linked to the village of Rainey in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Some other notable people with the surname Raney throughout history include John Raney (1766-1849), an English poet and writer, and William Raney (1770-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raney

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

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

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

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