NameCensus.

UK surname

Earney

An anglicized form of Irish surnames like Ó hEarnadha or Ó hEaracháin, which derive from personal names.

In the 1881 census there were 166 people recorded with the Earney surname, ranking it #14,496 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119, ranked #27,704, down from #14,496 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Charton-next-Woolwich and Whitchbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Aylesbury Vale and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Earney is 258 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 28.3%.

1881 census count

166

Ranked #14,496

Modern count

119

2016, ranked #27,704

Peak year

1911

258 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Earney had 166 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,496 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016, ranked #27,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 258 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Earney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Earney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Earney 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 86 #18,820
1861 historical 87 #22,681
1881 historical 166 #14,496
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 225 #14,047
1911 historical 258 #12,614
1997 modern 154 #20,780
1998 modern 156 #21,144
1999 modern 163 #20,698
2000 modern 156 #21,235
2001 modern 153 #21,197
2002 modern 155 #21,431
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 148 #22,000
2005 modern 152 #21,572
2006 modern 150 #21,915
2007 modern 146 #22,596
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 138 #24,801
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 116 #27,550
2013 modern 116 #27,992
2014 modern 113 #28,779
2015 modern 119 #27,684
2016 modern 119 #27,704

Geography

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Where Earneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Charton-next-Woolwich, Whitchbury, Woolwich and Salisbury St Edmund. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Aylesbury Vale, Leeds, South Gloucestershire and Swindon. 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 Charton-next-Woolwich London (South Districts)
3 Whitchbury Hampshire
4 Woolwich London (South Districts)
5 Salisbury St Edmund Wiltshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 040 Wiltshire
2 Aylesbury Vale 001 Aylesbury Vale
3 Leeds 013 Leeds
4 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire
5 Swindon 003 Swindon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Earney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Earney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Earney, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Earney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Earney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Earney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Earney is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Earney falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Earney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Earney

The surname Earney originated from the Irish Gaelic name Ó hÍrne, which is derived from the old Irish word éarna, meaning "anvil" or "iron mass". This suggests that the name was initially associated with blacksmiths or ironworkers in Ireland.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Earney can be traced back to the 16th century in County Leitrim, Ireland. Records from 1569 mention a Dermod O'Herny, who was likely an early ancestor of the Earney family.

In the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a legal document from 1595, the name is spelled as "O'Hearne". This variation in spelling was common in those times, as standardized spellings were not yet established.

One notable bearer of the name was Terence Earney, an Irish soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland (1688-1691). He served under Patrick Sarsfield, the famous Irish Jacobite leader, and was present at the Siege of Limerick in 1691.

In the 18th century, the name Earney appeared in various parish records across County Leitrim and neighboring areas. One such record from 1745 mentions a John Earney, who was a landowner in the townland of Drumkeeran.

Another prominent figure was Reverend James Earney (1808-1887), a Catholic priest and scholar from County Leitrim. He served as the parish priest of Drumreilly and was known for his support of Irish nationalist causes.

The surname Earney also has a connection to the placename Annaduff in County Leitrim. The name is derived from the Irish Áth na nDubh, meaning "ford of the black river", and some Earney families were historically associated with this area.

Throughout the 19th century, many individuals bearing the surname Earney emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia, where their descendants can still be found today.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Earney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Earney 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. Wiltshire leads with 47 Earneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.82x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 47 32.82x
Hampshire 42 12.65x
Kent 37 6.70x
Dorset 13 12.23x
Surrey 10 1.27x
Essex 9 2.82x
Middlesex 4 0.25x
Durham 1 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.46x
Sussex 1 0.37x
Yorkshire 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. Whitsbury in Hampshire leads with 19 Earneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 19000.00x.

Place Total Index
Whitsbury 19 19000.00x
Charlton Next Woolwich 15 260.42x
Alderbury 10 1492.54x
Earldoms 10 50000.00x
Harwich St Nicholas 9 364.37x
Sixpenny Handley 9 1730.77x
Deptford St Paul 7 16.43x
Nunton With Bodenham 6 3750.00x
Trowbridge 6 94.79x
Bermondsey 5 10.37x
Christchurch 5 69.44x
Croydon 5 11.42x
Shalfleet 5 781.25x
Woolwich 5 24.50x
Clarendon Park 4 3333.33x
Codford St Peter 4 2222.22x
Dartford 4 70.80x
Whippingham 4 159.36x
Abbotts Ann 3 810.81x
Canford Magna 3 491.80x
Plumstead 3 16.29x
South Newton 3 810.81x
Britford 2 210.53x
Chislehurst 2 67.57x
Kensington London 2 2.22x
Portsea 2 3.07x
St Pancras London 2 1.53x
Barnsley 1 6.04x
Brading 1 22.68x
Eastwood 1 51.28x
Foots Cray 1 94.34x
Fordingbridge 1 55.56x
Gateshead 1 2.77x
Holdenhurst 1 11.48x
Newhaven 1 45.05x
Ryde 1 14.03x
Salisbury St Martin 1 67.11x
Wareham Lady St Mary 1 121.95x
Wilton 1 99.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 5
Mary 5
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Jane 4
Caroline 3
Alice 2
Anne 2
Emily 2
Eva 2
Laura 2
Susan 2
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Charity 1
Daisy 1
Edith 1
Emeily 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Ida 1
Jemima 1
Judy 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Marianne 1
Marietta 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Roselinda 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
George 10
John 9
Henry 7
Thomas 7
Arthur 6
James 5
Frederick 4
Charles 3
Edward 3
Joseph 3
Albert 2
David 2
Stephen 2
Alfred 1
Clemance 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Emmanuel 1
Frank 1
Fredk.W. 1
Harry 1
Hubert 1
Jacob 1
Josuha 1
Levi 1
Luke 1
Morgan 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Theophilus 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Earney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Earney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 166 people were recorded with the Earney surname. That placed it at #14,496 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Earney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016. That gives Earney a modern rank of #27,704.

What does the Earney surname mean?

An anglicized form of Irish surnames like Ó hEarnadha or Ó hEaracháin, which derive from personal names.

What does the Earney map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Earney 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.