2000
#4,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Toomey
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tuama," meaning "descendant of Tuama" (a personal name meaning "tumult" or "plague").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,190 Americans carry the last name Toomey. That puts it at #4,796 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,850 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toomey 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 Toomey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,850
Census rank
#4,796
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,142 bearers of the surname Toomey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4796th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toomey
The surname Toomey is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Tomaidh, which means "descendant of Tomaidh," a personal name derived from the Old Norse word "tómi," meaning "empty" or "vacant." The name is believed to have originated in County Sligo, Ireland, during the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toomey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. It mentions a Toomey family from County Sligo who played a significant role in local affairs during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Toomey family was well-established in County Sligo, particularly around the town of Ballymote. The surname appears in various historical records from that period, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Annals of Loch Cé.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Toomey name spread throughout Ireland, with families settling in counties like Mayo, Galway, and Dublin. One notable figure from this era was Patrick Toomey (1680-1760), a Catholic priest and author from County Mayo who wrote extensively on Irish history and language.
In the 19th century, the Toomey name began to appear more frequently in other parts of the world due to Irish emigration. John Toomey (1809-1892), a prominent Australian pastoralist and politician, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, before emigrating to Australia in 1832.
Another notable figure with the Toomey surname was Thomas Toomey (1825-1904), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts State Senate in the late 19th century.
Other historical figures with the Toomey surname include:
1. Denis Toomey (1766-1837), an Irish politician and judge.
2. Michael Toomey (1827-1902), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator.
3. Patrick Toomey (1854-1901), an Irish-American labor leader and politician.
4. John Toomey (1863-1936), an Irish-American politician and judge.
5. Maurice Toomey (1894-1969), an American actor and film director.
The surname Toomey has a rich history rooted in Ireland, with its origins tracing back to the medieval period. Over the centuries, it has spread throughout the world, and individuals with this surname have made significant contributions in various fields, including politics, law, religion, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toomey
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Toomey 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 Toomey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 6,464
- Two or more races3.5% · 247
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 241
- Black or African American1.3% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toomey
Toomey 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
#4,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,510
-97 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#4,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,142
-368 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,320 | 7,607 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,722 | 7,510 | 2.55 | -97 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #4,796 | 7,142 | 2.39 | -368 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 74 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 Toomey 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 | #4,722 | #4,796 | -1.6% |
| Count | 7,510 | 7,142 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.39 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toomey bearers went from 7,510 to 7,142 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,722 to #4,796.
FAQ
Toomey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toomey?
Name Census estimates that about 8,190 living Americans carry the surname Toomey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,850 residents.
How common is Toomey?
Toomey ranks #4,796 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 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 7,142 people with the surname Toomey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 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 Toomey.
Has Toomey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toomey went from 7,510 recorded bearers to 7,142. That is a decrease of 368 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,722 to #4,796.
What does the Census say about the background of Toomey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toomey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Toomey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (6,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toomey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Toomey (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 Toomey mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Tuama," meaning "descendant of Tuama" (a personal name meaning "tumult" or "plague"). 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 Toomey (2.39 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 common is the surname Toomey?
You can see how many people are called Toomey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.