2000
#5,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Roney
An Irish surname, likely derived from the Gaelic "Ó Rónaigh," meaning "descendant of Rónach" (a personal name meaning "champion").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,540 Americans carry the last name Roney. That puts it at #5,845 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,409 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roney 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 Roney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,409
Census rank
#5,845
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,703 bearers of the surname Roney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5845th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roney, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roney
The surname Roney is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "rongneux," meaning "mangy" or "scabby." The name likely emerged in the medieval period, referring to someone with a skin condition or possibly as a nickname for someone with an unpleasant appearance or character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a John Roney is listed. The name also appears in various parish records and court rolls throughout the 15th and 16th centuries in counties like Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire.
During the 16th century, the name Roney was particularly prevalent in the village of Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Records from the time show several variations of the spelling, including Ronie, Ronye, and Ronay. One notable bearer was Robert Roney, a prominent landowner in Worksop who lived in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of England, with records showing Roneys in places like Derbyshire and Staffordshire. One notable individual from this era was William Roney, a Puritan minister born in Derbyshire in 1625, who later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1640s.
The 18th century saw the Roney name continue to grow in England, with pockets of the surname found in various counties. A notable figure was Sir John Roney, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, born in 1712. He was knighted by King George III in 1762 for his services to the Crown.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many Roneys migrated to urban centers like London, Manchester, and Birmingham in search of work. One notable individual from this era was James Roney, a successful industrialist from Birmingham, born in 1832, who made his fortune in the iron and steel industry.
Throughout its history, the Roney surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Roney Green in Staffordshire and Roney's Field in Nottinghamshire, further reinforcing its long-standing roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roney
Among Census respondents with the surname Roney, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Roney 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 Roney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 4,432
- Black or African American13.7% · 783
- Two or more races3.8% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roney
Roney 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
#5,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,015
+99 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#5,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,703
-312 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,420 | 5,916 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,761 | 6,015 | 2.04 | +99 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #5,845 | 5,703 | 1.91 | -312 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 84 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 Roney 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 | #5,761 | #5,845 | -1.5% |
| Count | 6,015 | 5,703 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.91 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roney bearers went from 6,015 to 5,703 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,761 to #5,845.
FAQ
Roney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roney?
Name Census estimates that about 6,540 living Americans carry the surname Roney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,409 residents.
How common is Roney?
Roney ranks #5,845 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,703 people with the surname Roney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roney.
Has Roney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roney went from 6,015 recorded bearers to 5,703. That is a decrease of 312 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,761 to #5,845.
What does the Census say about the background of Roney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roney, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Roney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (4,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Roney (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 Roney mean?
An Irish surname, likely derived from the Gaelic "Ó Rónaigh," meaning "descendant of Rónach" (a personal name meaning "champion"). 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 Roney (1.91 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 have the last name Roney?
Find out how many people are called Roney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.