2000
#2,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.01
Uncommon Last name
Rooney
Descendant of Ruadhán, an Irish given name meaning "little red-haired one" or "little red one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,702 Americans carry the last name Rooney. That puts it at #2,167 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,327 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rooney 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 Rooney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,327
Census rank
#2,167
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,309 bearers of the surname Rooney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2167th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rooney
The surname Rooney is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh or Ó Rónáin, meaning "descendant of Rónán". Rónán was a popular personal name in ancient Ireland, derived from the word "rón", meaning a seal or sea lion.
The name is believed to have originated in County Donegal, particularly in the Rosses area and the Inishowen peninsula. It was among the principal families of the Cenél Conaill dynasty that ruled this region from the 5th to the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1143, it mentions the death of "Annadh Ua Ruanaidh, chief of Muintir-Ruanaidh".
The surname Rooney is also found in various historical documents from the 16th century onwards, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Hearth Money Rolls of the 17th century.
Notable historical figures with the surname Rooney include:
1. Sir Andrew Rooney (c. 1500-1558), an Irish judge and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
2. Andrew Rooney (1919-2011), an American radio and television writer and commentator.
3. John Rooney (c. 1590-1650), an Irish Catholic bishop and theologian.
4. Patrick Rooney (1779-1858), an Irish-American businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania.
5. Dan Rooney (1932-2017), an American sports executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland.
The surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Rooneystown (County Donegal) and Rooneyville (County Mayo), reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this name in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rooney
Among Census respondents with the surname Rooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rooney 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 Rooney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 14,908
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 644
- Two or more races2.8% · 453
- Black or African American0.9% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rooney
Rooney 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
#2,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,823
+3,296 bearers (+24.4%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Up 294 places
2020
#2,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,309
-514 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 5.46
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,450 | 13,527 | 5.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,156 | 16,823 | 5.70 | +3,296 bearers (+24.4%) | Up 294 places |
| 2020 | #2,167 | 16,309 | 5.46 | -514 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11 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 Rooney 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 | #2,156 | #2,167 | -0.5% |
| Count | 16,823 | 16,309 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.70 | 5.46 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rooney bearers went from 16,823 to 16,309 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,156 to #2,167.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rooney
FAQ
Rooney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rooney?
Name Census estimates that about 18,702 living Americans carry the surname Rooney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,327 residents.
How common is Rooney?
Rooney ranks #2,167 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,309 people with the surname Rooney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Rooney.
Has Rooney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rooney went from 16,823 recorded bearers to 16,309. That is a decrease of 514 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,156 to #2,167.
What does the Census say about the background of Rooney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rooney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (14,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rooney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rooney (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 Rooney mean?
Descendant of Ruadhán, an Irish given name meaning "little red-haired one" or "little red one." 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 Rooney (5.46 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 surname Rooney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.