NameCensus.

UK surname

Cooney

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cuana, meaning "descendant of Cuana," a personal name of unknown meaning.

In the 1881 census there were 1,238 people recorded with the Cooney surname, ranking it #3,277 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,737, ranked #1,818, up from #3,277 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Oldham, Manchester and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cooney is 3,784 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 201.9%.

1881 census count

1,238

Ranked #3,277

Modern count

3,737

2016, ranked #1,818

Peak year

2010

3,784 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cooney had 1,238 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,277 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,737 in 2016, ranked #1,818.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,624 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cooney surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cooney surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cooney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cooney over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 470 #5,285
1861 historical 580 #4,544
1881 historical 1,238 #3,277
1891 historical 1,280 #3,377
1901 historical 1,624 #3,179
1911 historical 1,502 #3,211
1997 modern 3,429 #1,889
1998 modern 3,617 #1,869
1999 modern 3,637 #1,868
2000 modern 3,577 #1,897
2001 modern 3,467 #1,914
2002 modern 3,620 #1,870
2003 modern 3,499 #1,892
2004 modern 3,507 #1,889
2005 modern 3,492 #1,867
2006 modern 3,512 #1,862
2007 modern 3,566 #1,851
2008 modern 3,561 #1,863
2009 modern 3,694 #1,836
2010 modern 3,784 #1,842
2011 modern 3,722 #1,847
2012 modern 3,693 #1,825
2013 modern 3,757 #1,826
2014 modern 3,781 #1,826
2015 modern 3,748 #1,816
2016 modern 3,737 #1,818

Geography

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Where Cooneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Oldham, Manchester, Cheshire West and Chester, Sefton and Lambeth. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Oldham 030 Oldham
2 Manchester 001 Manchester
3 Cheshire West and Chester 007 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Sefton 023 Sefton
5 Lambeth 029 Lambeth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cooney

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cooney surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cooney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cooney, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Cooney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cooney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Cooney is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cooney is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cooney falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cooney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cooney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cooney

The surname Cooney is of Irish origin and has been traced back to County Donegal in the northwest of Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic personal name Cuinneog, which means "little rabbit" or "little hare." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was swift or agile like a rabbit.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Cooney can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Flann Ua Cuinne (Flann O'Cooney) who died in the year 1024. This suggests that the surname was well-established in Ireland by the 11th century.

In the 16th century, the Cooney surname was concentrated in the Baronies of Raphoe and Kilmacrenan in County Donegal. The Plantation of Ulster, which occurred in the early 17th century, saw many Cooney families displaced from their ancestral lands, leading to the spread of the name throughout other parts of Ireland and beyond.

Notable individuals with the surname Cooney include John Cooney (1768-1823), an Irish playwright and poet who wrote several popular plays in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Another prominent figure was Thomas Cooney (1804-1875), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the 12th Mayor of Brooklyn, New York.

In the 19th century, the Cooney surname can be found in various historical records, such as the Griffith's Valuation of Ireland (1848-1864), which was a survey of landholders and property values. One individual listed in this valuation was Patrick Cooney, a landholder in County Donegal.

Other notable individuals with the Cooney surname include William Cooney (1824-1901), an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and Michael Cooney (1847-1922), an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia.

While the surname Cooney is predominantly Irish in origin, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to Irish immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic personal name Cuinneog and its historical stronghold in County Donegal, Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cooney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cooney surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 409 Cooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 409 2.84x
Yorkshire 149 1.24x
Middlesex 98 0.81x
Durham 76 2.11x
Lanarkshire 75 1.91x
Angus 65 5.79x
Surrey 54 0.91x
Midlothian 32 1.97x
Cumberland 31 2.97x
Cheshire 30 1.12x
Staffordshire 30 0.73x
Kent 28 0.68x
Derbyshire 22 1.16x
Aberdeenshire 17 1.51x
Northumberland 16 0.89x
Renfrewshire 15 1.60x
Warwickshire 15 0.49x
Glamorgan 14 0.66x
Essex 11 0.46x
Monmouthshire 11 1.25x
Dumfriesshire 8 2.99x
Hampshire 6 0.24x
Devon 4 0.16x
Leicestershire 4 0.30x
Roxburghshire 4 1.82x
Perthshire 3 0.55x
Royal Navy 3 2.08x
Channel Islands 2 0.56x
Gloucestershire 2 0.08x
Sussex 2 0.10x
Argyllshire 1 0.30x
Berkshire 1 0.11x
Hertfordshire 1 0.12x
Stirlingshire 1 0.22x
Wigtownshire 1 0.62x
Wiltshire 1 0.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 79 Cooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.04x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 79 9.04x
Dundee 45 10.73x
Manchester 42 6.49x
Leeds 26 3.83x
Preston 26 6.75x
Govan 22 2.27x
Toxteth Park 22 4.52x
Salford 20 4.73x
Oldham 19 4.09x
Barony 18 1.81x
Liff Benvie 18 10.56x
Widnes 18 17.35x
Wolverhampton 18 5.72x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 17 8.09x
Bradford 17 5.84x
Stranton 17 14.00x
Lambeth 16 1.51x
St Marylebone London 15 2.32x
Glasgow 14 2.01x
Hackney London 13 1.91x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 13 8.32x
Sunderland 13 20.41x
Bishopwearmouth 12 3.88x
Chatham 12 10.54x
Derby St Werburgh 11 10.04x
Kirkdale 11 4.54x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 11 10.21x
Batley 10 8.76x
Birmingham 10 0.98x
Keighley 10 7.81x
Windle 10 12.35x
Bootle Cum Linacre 9 7.88x
Cardiff St Mary 9 7.74x
Cramond 9 73.11x
Everton 9 1.96x
Litherland 9 29.92x
Openshaw 9 13.36x
Shettleston 9 25.63x
Ashton Under Lyne 8 2.54x
Blackburn 8 2.09x
Bollington In 8 33.59x
Bow London 8 5.18x
Dumfries 8 30.28x
Ecclesfield 8 9.08x
Harrington 8 63.49x
Holbeck 8 10.05x
Linthorpe 8 11.16x
Oswaldtwistle 8 15.74x
Southwark St Saviour 8 12.84x
Upperthong 8 78.28x
West Derby 8 1.90x
Wooldale 8 39.25x
Bowling 7 5.88x
Broughton In Salford 7 5.32x
Bury 7 4.26x
Chadderton 7 9.95x
Heworth 7 9.85x
Kimberworth 7 10.50x
Lower Bebington 7 44.03x
Royton 7 15.91x
Sheffield 7 1.83x
St George In East London 7 6.14x
Aismunderby Cum 6 176.47x
Edinburgh Old 6 60.85x
Lasswade 6 16.16x
Paisley Middle Church 6 10.97x
Renfrew 6 19.34x
South Leith 6 3.28x
Stoke Newington London 6 6.35x
Whitechapel London 6 5.02x
Chesterfield 5 7.03x
Cleator 5 11.51x
Denton 5 15.68x
Dukinfield 5 4.04x
Edinburgh New North 5 35.36x
Parr 5 9.71x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 2.05x
Usk 5 68.87x
West Ham 5 0.95x
Worsley 5 5.64x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cooney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 133
Catherine 36
Margaret 35
Ellen 34
Ann 24
Elizabeth 22
Bridget 19
Sarah 14
Annie 11
Kate 10
Jane 8
Maria 8
Alice 7
Eliza 7
Julia 6
Agnes 5
Emma 5
Anne 4
Catharine 4
Emily 4
Hannah 4
Margt. 4
Martha 4
Susan 4
Caroline 3
Elizth. 3
Isabella 3
Johanna 3
Rachel 3
Rebecca 3
Anastasia 2
Clara 2
Frances 2
Helen 2
Honoria 2
Louisa 2
Margeret 2
Rosey 2
Winifred 2
Anna 1
Bessey 1
Elleanor 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Eveline 1
Fanny 1
Latacia 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
Winny 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cooney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 89
Thomas 70
James 63
Patrick 49
Michael 38
William 29
Edward 19
Peter 17
Henry 14
Joseph 8
Robert 7
Francis 6
Richard 6
Thos. 6
Charles 5
George 5
Arthur 4
Bernard 4
Dennis 4
Owen 4
Andrew 3
Daniel 3
Frank 3
Hugh 3
Michl. 3
Timothy 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
David 2
Edmund 2
Frederick 2
Jas. 2
Martin 2
Micheal 2
Nicholas 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Walter 2
Bartholomew 1
Cornelias 1
Cornelius 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Mathew 1
Mathieu 1
Maurice 1
Michal 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cooney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cooney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,238 people were recorded with the Cooney surname. That placed it at #3,277 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cooney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,737 in 2016. That gives Cooney a modern rank of #1,818.

What does the Cooney surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cuana, meaning "descendant of Cuana," a personal name of unknown meaning.

What does the Cooney map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cooney bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.