2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shaney
An anglicized variant of the Gaelic surname Ó Seanaigh, meaning "descendant of Seanach".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Shaney. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shaney 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Shaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shaney
The surname Shaney has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "Sionnach," which translates to "fox." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or a descriptive name to someone who possessed fox-like qualities or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Shaney can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which were administrative records maintained by the English government during the late 16th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Shaney, indicating their presence in Ireland at that time.
The Shaney surname was particularly prevalent in County Tipperary, where it was associated with specific families and locations. For instance, the townland of Shanacloon (meaning "the meadow of the fox") in County Tipperary has long been a stronghold of the Shaney family.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the Petty Census of Ireland, which was a detailed survey conducted by Sir William Petty between 1659 and 1662. This census provides valuable information about the distribution and concentration of the Shaney surname across various regions of Ireland at that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Shaney include:
1. Patrick Shaney (1765-1838), an Irish-born American soldier who served in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
2. Mary Shaney (1820-1897), a prominent figure in the Irish nationalist movement and an advocate for women's rights in the late 19th century.
3. Michael Shaney (1857-1932), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the shipping industry and contributed significantly to various charitable causes in Boston.
4. Bridget Shaney (1875-1958), an Irish-born American labor activist who played a pivotal role in organizing textile workers in New England during the early 20th century.
5. John Shaney (1892-1971), an Irish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the Irish immigrant experience in the United States.
While the surname Shaney may have evolved and taken on different spellings over time, such as Shanny or Shanney, its roots can be traced back to the Gaelic word "Sionnach" and its association with the fox, a symbol of cunning and resourcefulness in Irish folklore.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shaney 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 Shaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Black or African American4.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shaney
Shaney 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-22 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,603 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-12 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 26,603 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 10,041 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 Shaney 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 | #144,141 | #154,182 | -7.0% |
| Count | 115 | 103 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shaney bearers went from 115 to 103 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,182.
FAQ
Shaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shaney?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Shaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Shaney?
Shaney ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Shaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shaney.
Has Shaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shaney went from 115 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Shaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Shaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (4.9%). 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 Shaney (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 Shaney mean?
An anglicized variant of the Gaelic surname Ó Seanaigh, meaning "descendant of Seanach". 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 Shaney (0.03 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 Shaney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.