Tahaney last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tahaney

A variant spelling of Irish surname Taheny, likely derived from Irish Gaelic Ó Tathgáin meaning "descendent of Tathgán".

Tahaney, 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 Tahaney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tahaney in America

Tahaney is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tahaney surname appeared 128 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tahaney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tahaney 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 132206 135837 -2.71%
Count 128 114 11.57%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Tahaney

The surname Tahaney has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the old Gaelic word "taisidheanaigh," which translates to "frequenter of thick bushy places." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived in heavily wooded or forested areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tahaney surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The name is mentioned in connection with a clan that resided in County Mayo in the western part of Ireland.

The Tahaney name can also be traced back to the Petty's Census of Ireland, conducted in 1659, which lists several families with variations of the spelling, including Taheny and Tahany. This indicates that the name had already begun to take on different forms by the mid-17th century.

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Tahaney surname was Michael Tahaney, a prominent landowner and politician from County Mayo. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament in the 1760s and was known for his advocacy of Catholic rights during a time of religious tensions in Ireland.

Another historical figure with the Tahaney name was Bridget Tahaney, born in County Mayo in 1812. She was a renowned traditional Irish singer and storyteller, responsible for preserving many ancient Irish ballads and folk tales that may have otherwise been lost to history.

The name Tahaney can also be found in connection with several place names in Ireland, such as Tahaney Beg and Tahaney More, both of which are townlands located in County Mayo. These place names likely stem from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.

In the early 20th century, a notable bearer of the Tahaney name was Patrick Tahaney, born in 1888 in County Mayo. He was a respected teacher and headmaster who dedicated his life to educating the youth of his local community.

While the Tahaney surname may not be as widely known as some other Irish names, it has a rich and diverse history that spans several centuries and reflects the cultural heritage of the Irish people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tahaney

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

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 Tahaney was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 89.84% 115
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 10.16% 13

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 Tahaney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 89.84% 94.74% -5.31%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic 10.16% 5.26% 63.55%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Tahaney last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on February 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tahaney-surname-popularity/.

"Tahaney last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tahaney-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 February, 2025

Tahaney last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tahaney-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.