NameCensus.

UK surname

Maloney

Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a servant of the church."

In the 1881 census there were 2,464 people recorded with the Maloney surname, ranking it #1,805 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,117, ranked #1,322, up from #1,805 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wigan and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maloney is 5,314 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 107.7%.

1881 census count

2,464

Ranked #1,805

Modern count

5,117

2016, ranked #1,322

Peak year

2010

5,314 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maloney had 2,464 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,805 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,117 in 2016, ranked #1,322.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,951 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Maloney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maloney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maloney 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 620 #4,170
1861 historical 1,036 #2,708
1881 historical 2,464 #1,805
1891 historical 2,492 #1,902
1901 historical 2,951 #1,898
1911 historical 2,746 #1,885
1997 modern 4,925 #1,331
1998 modern 5,184 #1,311
1999 modern 5,156 #1,328
2000 modern 5,193 #1,308
2001 modern 4,999 #1,328
2002 modern 5,100 #1,327
2003 modern 4,979 #1,326
2004 modern 5,021 #1,316
2005 modern 4,948 #1,318
2006 modern 4,920 #1,329
2007 modern 5,005 #1,317
2008 modern 5,001 #1,330
2009 modern 5,163 #1,318
2010 modern 5,314 #1,307
2011 modern 5,248 #1,305
2012 modern 5,051 #1,328
2013 modern 5,114 #1,335
2014 modern 5,167 #1,331
2015 modern 5,118 #1,331
2016 modern 5,117 #1,322

Geography

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Where Maloneys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wigan and Torfaen. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 022 Liverpool
2 Middlesbrough 007 Middlesbrough
3 Wigan 003 Wigan
4 Wigan 009 Wigan
5 Torfaen 003 Torfaen

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maloney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maloney

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Maloney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Maloney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Maloney 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

Maloney 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

Maloney 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 Maloney 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 Maloney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Maloney

The surname Maloney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoildhúnaidh, meaning "descendant of the tonsured servant of St. Dúnaidh." It emerged in County Kerry, Ireland, in the 14th century.

The name is believed to have originated from the Irish personal name "Maoildhúnaidh," meaning "servant of St. Dúnaidh." St. Dúnaidh was a 7th-century Irish saint and abbot of Iona, one of the most significant monastic communities in medieval Scotland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Maloney is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of records from the 16th century Irish administration.

In the 17th century, the Maloney clan held significant influence in County Kerry, particularly in the Iveragh Peninsula. Notable members of the clan during this period include Donough Maloney, a prominent landowner and chieftain who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

As the Maloney name spread throughout Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, including Moloney, Melloney, and Mulloney. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the anglicization of Irish surnames.

One of the earliest recorded Maloneys in America was John Maloney, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Other notable figures with the Maloney surname include Martin Maloney (1766-1842), an Irish-born Catholic priest who established the first Catholic church in Ohio, and Lily Maloney (1890-1967), an American actress and vaudeville performer.

Other prominent individuals with the Maloney surname include Francis Maloney (1894-1965), an American businessman and baseball executive who owned the Cleveland Indians, and Erin Maloney (born 1976), an American actress known for her roles in television series like "Lost" and "Justified."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maloney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maloney 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 819 Maloneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.86x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 819 2.86x
Middlesex 302 1.25x
Yorkshire 254 1.06x
Surrey 185 1.58x
Kent 102 1.24x
Glamorgan 94 2.24x
Staffordshire 94 1.16x
Lanarkshire 79 1.01x
Cheshire 66 1.24x
Hampshire 46 0.93x
Durham 40 0.56x
Essex 40 0.84x
Derbyshire 37 0.98x
Midlothian 31 0.96x
Renfrewshire 29 1.55x
Devon 27 0.54x
Gloucestershire 25 0.53x
Warwickshire 23 0.38x
Somerset 18 0.46x
Leicestershire 17 0.64x
Monmouthshire 15 0.86x
Wiltshire 13 0.61x
Dunbartonshire 12 1.85x
Northumberland 10 0.28x
Oxfordshire 10 0.67x
Royal Navy 10 3.48x
Angus 9 0.40x
Sussex 8 0.20x
Cumberland 7 0.34x
Northamptonshire 6 0.26x
Worcestershire 6 0.19x
Denbighshire 5 0.55x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.15x
Ayrshire 4 0.22x
Berkshire 4 0.22x
Norfolk 4 0.11x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.13x
Lincolnshire 3 0.08x
Perthshire 3 0.28x
Shropshire 3 0.14x
Argyllshire 1 0.15x
Hertfordshire 1 0.06x
Merionethshire 1 0.23x

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 142 Maloneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.17x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 142 8.17x
Manchester 75 5.83x
Toxteth Park 55 5.68x
St Marylebone London 50 3.89x
Wigan 49 12.26x
Everton 42 4.61x
St George In East 42 25.62x
Camberwell 35 2.27x
Leeds 35 2.60x
Warrington 32 9.44x
Bermondsey 31 4.32x
Blackburn 29 3.81x
Ince In Makerfield 29 21.79x
Glasgow 26 1.88x
Swansea Town 26 7.56x
Lambeth 25 1.19x
Wolverhampton 25 4.00x
Hulme 23 3.85x
Oldham 22 2.38x
Kirkdale 21 4.36x
Stockport 21 7.67x
Wardleworth 21 12.85x
Barony 20 1.01x
Plymouth St Andrew 19 4.92x
Preston 19 2.48x
Southwark St Saviour 19 15.34x
Kensington London 18 1.34x
Portsea 18 1.86x
Ashton Under Lyne 17 2.72x
Cardiff St Mary 17 7.35x
East Ham 17 19.25x
Elton 17 17.20x
Ratcliffe London 16 12.02x
Batley 15 6.61x
Glossop Dale 15 8.49x
Southwark St George Martyr 15 3.09x
York St Peter Le 15 327.51x
Bilston 14 8.88x
Birkenhead 13 3.06x
St Giles In Fields 13 15.64x
Bradford 12 2.08x
Deptford St Paul 12 1.89x
Neilston 12 12.80x
Poplar London 12 2.64x
Abergavenny 11 16.86x
Gomersal 11 9.87x
Little Bolton 11 2.99x
Rotherhithe 11 3.69x
Royton 11 12.57x
Sheffield 11 1.45x
Walsall Foreign 11 2.62x
York St Margaret 11 74.27x
Abbey 10 3.51x
Aston 10 0.60x
Atherton 10 9.61x
Bury 10 3.06x
Chippenham 10 22.37x
Eccleston In Prescot 10 6.96x
Erith 10 12.34x
Greenwich 10 2.61x
Holton 10 510.20x
Lancaster 10 5.88x
Newcastle Higher 10 35.09x
Northowram 10 5.97x
Otley 10 17.24x
Ripon 10 18.05x
Roath 10 5.25x
Salford 10 1.19x
Southwark Christchurch 10 8.85x
Whitechapel London 10 4.21x
Chelsea London 9 1.24x
Cheriton 9 26.85x
Derby All Sts 9 28.55x
Hinckley 9 14.20x
Islington London 9 0.39x
Newchurch 9 3.85x
Royal Navy 9 3.67x
St Pancras London 9 0.46x
Stranton 9 3.73x
Tonge 9 15.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 236
Margaret 90
Catherine 73
Ellen 67
Bridget 63
Ann 54
Sarah 49
Elizabeth 47
Kate 32
Annie 31
Jane 30
Julia 21
Hannah 18
Eliza 16
Alice 13
Emma 10
Maria 9
Winifred 8
Agnes 7
Johanna 7
Anne 6
Eleanor 6
Margt. 6
Martha 6
Esther 5
Amelia 4
Honora 4
Isabella 4
Katherine 4
Louisa 4
Nora 4
Norah 4
Catharine 3
Clara 3
Dora 3
Elizh. 3
Johannah 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Maggie 3
Margeret 3
Margret 3
Rebecca 3
Ruth 3
Cathrine 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Ester 2
Fanny 2
Marg. 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 210
James 130
Thomas 126
Patrick 108
William 77
Michael 64
Edward 45
Joseph 27
Charles 22
Martin 22
Daniel 20
Jeremiah 14
Peter 14
Richard 14
Henry 13
Stephen 12
George 10
Timothy 10
Andrew 9
Francis 9
David 7
Dennis 7
Robert 7
Albert 6
Cornelius 6
Thos. 6
Alfred 5
Arthur 5
Edwin 5
Lawrence 5
Matthew 5
Wm. 5
Edwd. 4
Frank 4
Frederick 4
Harry 4
Mathew 4
Owen 4
Walter 4
Anthony 3
Bartholomew 3
Denis 3
Edmund 3
Hugh 3
Jas. 3
Nicholas 3
Danl. 2
Matthias 2
Micheal 2
Miles 2

FAQ

Maloney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maloney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,464 people were recorded with the Maloney surname. That placed it at #1,805 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maloney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,117 in 2016. That gives Maloney a modern rank of #1,322.

What does the Maloney surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a servant of the church."

What does the Maloney map show?

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