NameCensus.

UK surname

Kearney

Derived from the Irish Ó Catharnaigh, meaning "descendant of Catharnach," a personal name meaning "warlike" or "soldier-like."

In the 1881 census there were 1,369 people recorded with the Kearney surname, ranking it #2,998 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,009, ranked #1,352, up from #2,998 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Toxteth Park and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dundyvan, County Durham and Drumry East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kearney is 5,013 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 265.9%.

1881 census count

1,369

Ranked #2,998

Modern count

5,009

2016, ranked #1,352

Peak year

2010

5,013 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kearney had 1,369 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,998 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,009 in 2016, ranked #1,352.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,572 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kearney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kearney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kearney 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 533 #4,713
1861 historical 495 #5,279
1881 historical 1,369 #2,998
1891 historical 1,201 #3,565
1901 historical 1,572 #3,282
1911 historical 1,202 #3,911
1997 modern 4,490 #1,465
1998 modern 4,729 #1,442
1999 modern 4,719 #1,454
2000 modern 4,728 #1,440
2001 modern 4,634 #1,439
2002 modern 4,851 #1,402
2003 modern 4,695 #1,412
2004 modern 4,692 #1,408
2005 modern 4,634 #1,409
2006 modern 4,681 #1,398
2007 modern 4,745 #1,393
2008 modern 4,793 #1,389
2009 modern 4,923 #1,383
2010 modern 5,013 #1,391
2011 modern 4,906 #1,399
2012 modern 4,823 #1,391
2013 modern 4,924 #1,388
2014 modern 5,008 #1,370
2015 modern 5,005 #1,353
2016 modern 5,009 #1,352

Geography

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Where Kearneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Toxteth Park, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dundyvan, County Durham, Drumry East, Coventry and Knowsley. 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 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dundyvan North Lanarkshire
2 County Durham 010 County Durham
3 Drumry East Glasgow City
4 Coventry 036 Coventry
5 Knowsley 010 Knowsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kearney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kearney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kearney, 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 Kearney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kearney 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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Kearney 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

Kearney 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

Kearney 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 Kearney 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Kearney

The surname Kearney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Catharnaigh, which means 'descendant of Catharnach'. Catharnach was a personal name derived from the Irish word 'catharnach', meaning 'warrior' or 'battler'.

The Kearney name has its roots in County Sligo, Ireland, where the family was part of the ancient Uí Fiachrach dynasty that ruled the region. The Kearneys were one of the principal families of Sligo and held significant territories in the area.

The name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the 12th century. The Annals mention several notable members of the Kearney family, including Donnchadh Ó Catharnaigh, who was described as the Lord of Triath-na-Sionainne (Tírenashingane) in County Sligo in 1180.

The Kearney name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne, a 13th-century document listing landowners in County Cork, which mentions a William de Kerdeny.

Another notable figure with the Kearney name was Patrick Kearney (1597-1661), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1629 to 1661. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and was a supporter of the Catholic Confederacy.

In the 17th century, the Kearney family was among the Catholic landowners who lost their estates during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster. Many Kearneys were forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or emigrate to continental Europe.

John Kearney (1742-1786) was an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought for the Continental Army and was appointed as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Sarah Kearney (1805-1858) was an Irish poet and author, best known for her work "The Bard's Legacy", which was published in 1831. She was born in County Roscommon and her poetry often explored themes of Irish culture and identity.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kearney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kearney 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 457 Kearneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 457 2.84x
Lanarkshire 149 3.40x
Middlesex 144 1.06x
Yorkshire 78 0.58x
Renfrewshire 55 5.23x
Cumberland 49 4.20x
Surrey 47 0.71x
Cheshire 45 1.50x
Durham 44 1.09x
Staffordshire 30 0.66x
Ayrshire 28 2.76x
Midlothian 23 1.27x
Hampshire 22 0.79x
Northumberland 22 1.09x
Kent 21 0.45x
Essex 18 0.67x
Isle of Man 16 6.35x
Angus 15 1.19x
Berwickshire 15 9.14x
Devon 14 0.50x
Stirlingshire 13 2.60x
West Lothian 12 5.88x
Warwickshire 11 0.32x
Glamorgan 10 0.42x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 4.08x
Berkshire 7 0.69x
Dunbartonshire 4 1.10x
Royal Navy 4 2.48x
Gloucestershire 3 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.16x
Oxfordshire 3 0.36x
Shropshire 3 0.26x
Suffolk 3 0.18x
Cornwall 2 0.13x
Dorset 2 0.22x
Perthshire 2 0.33x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.08x
Channel Islands 1 0.25x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.89x
Derbyshire 1 0.05x
Hertfordshire 1 0.11x
Leicestershire 1 0.07x
Sussex 1 0.04x
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 115 Kearneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.77x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 115 11.77x
Glasgow 43 5.52x
Shoreditch London 40 6.81x
Bootle Cum Linacre 30 23.48x
Barony 28 2.52x
Govan 26 2.40x
Toxteth Park 24 4.41x
Leeds 23 3.03x
Little Bolton 21 10.15x
New Monkland 21 16.20x
Manchester 19 2.63x
Newington 19 3.79x
Preston 17 3.95x
Salford 17 3.59x
Everton 15 2.93x
Eyemouth 15 109.49x
Old Monkland 15 8.62x
Onchan 15 20.68x
Tranmere 15 13.64x
Whitehaven 15 24.11x
Aldershot 14 15.04x
Barton Upon Irwell 14 11.56x
Birkenhead 14 5.87x
East Greenock 14 14.11x
West Derby 14 2.97x
Auckinleck 13 41.39x
Battersea 13 2.61x
Chorlton On Medlock 13 5.09x
Kirkdale 13 4.80x
Spitalfields London 13 12.75x
Hulme 12 3.57x
Sunbury 12 73.66x
Warrington 12 6.29x
West Ham 12 2.03x
Whitburn 12 40.68x
Gateshead 11 3.64x
Abbey 10 6.24x
Broughton In Salford 10 6.80x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 5.72x
Newcastle On Tyne St 10 9.56x
Barrow In Furness 9 4.11x
Edinburgh Canongate 9 19.47x
Kilsyth 9 28.22x
Rickergate 9 36.44x
Selby 9 32.05x
Tottington Higher End 9 49.15x
Kensington London 8 1.06x
Liff Benvie 8 4.20x
Parr 8 13.90x
Terregles 8 366.97x
Walsall Borough 8 22.52x
Ardrossan 7 19.93x
Arlecdon 7 22.54x
Bradford 7 2.15x
Cadder 7 21.61x
Chorley 7 7.75x
Eastwood 7 10.82x
Edmonton 7 6.41x
Halifax 7 3.55x
Hampstead London 7 3.31x
Islington London 7 0.53x
Keighley 7 4.89x
Middle Greenock 7 24.42x
Mile End Old Town London 7 2.43x
Neath 7 14.57x
Stewarton 7 34.86x
Widnes 7 6.03x
Bethnal Green London 6 1.02x
Birmingham 6 0.53x
Blackburn 6 1.40x
Camberwell 6 0.69x
Cleator 6 12.35x
Dundee 6 1.28x
Farnworth 6 6.22x
Heworth 6 7.55x
Northam 6 29.17x
Port Glasgow 6 11.81x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 2.20x
Stone 6 10.25x
West Greenock 6 3.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 123
Margaret 35
Ellen 33
Elizabeth 28
Catherine 24
Ann 23
Sarah 22
Annie 14
Kate 13
Jane 12
Alice 11
Anne 10
Bridget 7
Eliza 7
Maria 7
Rose 7
Emily 6
Julia 6
Susan 6
Emma 5
Florence 5
Hannah 5
Martha 5
Matilda 5
Isabella 4
Margt. 4
Agnes 3
Charlotte 3
Clara 3
Lydia 3
Barbara 2
Caroline 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Honora 2
Johannah 2
Katherine 2
Laura 2
Lavina 2
Margeret 2
Maude 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Susannah 2
Betsey 1
E.S. 1
Edith 1
Elenor 1
Eliz. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 84
James 61
William 59
Thomas 47
Patrick 35
Michael 23
Edward 20
Joseph 15
Peter 13
Henry 11
Francis 10
Daniel 9
Robert 9
Hugh 8
Richard 8
Charles 6
George 6
Alfred 5
Andrew 5
Samuel 5
Frederick 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Chas. 3
Lawrence 3
Mathew 3
Philip 3
Thos. 3
Timothy 3
Bernard 2
Christopher 2
Denis 2
Edmund 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Louis 2
Mark 2
Matthew 2
Patk. 2
Archibald 1
David 1
Ellen 1
Emmett 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Luke 1
Marshall 1
Martin 1
Wm.E. 1

FAQ

Kearney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kearney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,369 people were recorded with the Kearney surname. That placed it at #2,998 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kearney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,009 in 2016. That gives Kearney a modern rank of #1,352.

What does the Kearney surname mean?

Derived from the Irish Ó Catharnaigh, meaning "descendant of Catharnach," a personal name meaning "warlike" or "soldier-like."

What does the Kearney map show?

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