NameCensus.

UK surname

Mooney

An Irish surname derived from Ó Moonaigh, meaning "descendant of Moonaigh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

In the 1881 census there were 3,467 people recorded with the Mooney surname, ranking it #1,312 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,039, ranked #724, up from #1,312 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Glenwood North, Gorbals and Hutchesontown and Greenock West and Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mooney is 9,215 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 160.7%.

1881 census count

3,467

Ranked #1,312

Modern count

9,039

2016, ranked #724

Peak year

2010

9,215 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mooney had 3,467 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,312 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,039 in 2016, ranked #724.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,117 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mooney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mooney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mooney 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 1,596 #1,801
1861 historical 1,951 #1,496
1881 historical 3,467 #1,312
1891 historical 3,599 #1,334
1901 historical 4,117 #1,367
1911 historical 2,943 #1,766
1997 modern 8,483 #744
1998 modern 8,780 #749
1999 modern 8,776 #757
2000 modern 8,791 #750
2001 modern 8,557 #754
2002 modern 8,779 #747
2003 modern 8,618 #745
2004 modern 8,650 #749
2005 modern 8,650 #737
2006 modern 8,639 #739
2007 modern 8,747 #736
2008 modern 8,836 #732
2009 modern 9,019 #734
2010 modern 9,215 #736
2011 modern 9,081 #731
2012 modern 8,879 #734
2013 modern 9,027 #735
2014 modern 9,136 #728
2015 modern 9,069 #726
2016 modern 9,039 #724

Geography

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Where Mooneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, 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 Glenwood North, Gorbals and Hutchesontown, Greenock West and Central, Knowsley and West Lancashire. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Glenwood North Glasgow City
2 Gorbals and Hutchesontown Glasgow City
3 Greenock West and Central Inverclyde
4 Knowsley 001 Knowsley
5 West Lancashire 014 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mooney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mooney

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

Mooney is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mooney 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 Mooney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Mooney

The surname Mooney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "O'Muanaí" or "O'Mónadhaigh" meaning "descendant of Mónadhach." Mónadhach was a personal name derived from the word "món," meaning "boggy place" or "peat bog." This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have come from or lived near a bog or marshy area.

The Mooney surname can be traced back to the 11th century in Ireland. It was particularly prevalent in counties such as Munster, Leinster, and Connacht. In some early records, the name appeared with variations like Moneye, Mownay, and O'Money.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Mooney surname is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. It refers to Maonaigh O'Maonaigh, a chieftain who lived in the 12th century.

Another notable early reference is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name is recorded as "Monegai" in the county of Derbyshire, England. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have migrated from Ireland to England during this period.

In the 16th century, the Mooney family was prominent in County Leitrim, Ireland. One notable member was Fergal Mooney (c. 1560-1630), a Catholic bishop and philosopher who was known for his opposition to Protestant rule in Ireland.

In the 17th century, James Mooney (1597-1667) was an Irish Catholic priest who served as a chaplain in the Confederate Wars in Ireland.

During the 18th century, the Mooney surname spread to other parts of the world through Irish immigration. For instance, Jeremiah Mooney (1721-1789) was an Irish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania, USA.

In the 19th century, James Mooney (1861-1921) was an American ethnographer and author who studied the customs and traditions of Native American tribes, particularly the Cherokee.

Throughout history, the Mooney surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Moneygall in County Offaly and Moneymore in County Derry.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mooney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mooney 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 1,270 Mooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.16x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,270 3.16x
Lanarkshire 499 4.55x
Middlesex 223 0.66x
Yorkshire 177 0.53x
Durham 154 1.53x
Renfrewshire 112 4.26x
Angus 109 3.47x
Northumberland 108 2.14x
Midlothian 95 2.09x
Staffordshire 82 0.72x
Ayrshire 76 2.99x
Cheshire 64 0.85x
Cumberland 50 1.71x
Warwickshire 42 0.49x
West Lothian 35 6.85x
Dunbartonshire 32 3.51x
Surrey 28 0.17x
Lincolnshire 25 0.46x
Kent 23 0.20x
Essex 22 0.33x
Devon 21 0.30x
Sussex 21 0.37x
Hampshire 19 0.27x
Stirlingshire 19 1.52x
Orkney 17 4.56x
Derbyshire 16 0.30x
Somerset 15 0.27x
Leicestershire 14 0.37x
East Lothian 13 2.89x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.24x
Glamorgan 10 0.17x
Royal Navy 9 2.23x
Worcestershire 9 0.20x
Channel Islands 7 0.70x
Westmorland 7 0.94x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.74x
Oxfordshire 5 0.24x
Gloucestershire 4 0.06x
Monmouthshire 4 0.16x
Shropshire 4 0.14x
Bedfordshire 3 0.17x
Norfolk 3 0.06x
Buteshire 2 0.97x
Flintshire 2 0.22x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.19x
Banffshire 1 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.07x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Fife 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.16x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.20x
Perthshire 1 0.07x
Suffolk 1 0.02x

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 274 Mooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.21x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 274 11.21x
Glasgow 127 6.52x
Manchester 126 6.96x
Barony 118 4.25x
Govan 80 2.95x
Dundee 68 5.80x
Oldham 49 3.77x
Toxteth Park 47 3.45x
Hulme 46 5.47x
Everton 44 3.43x
West Derby 39 3.31x
Widnes 37 12.75x
Byker 34 13.63x
Barrow In Furness 30 5.48x
Liff Benvie 30 6.29x
Birkenhead 29 4.86x
West Greenock 29 6.15x
Westminster St John 29 7.02x
Kirkdale 28 4.14x
Salford 27 2.28x
St Pancras London 26 0.95x
Stoke Upon Trent 24 1.98x
Dumbarton 23 18.13x
Shotts 23 17.52x
Windle 23 10.16x
Birmingham 22 0.77x
Bradford 22 2.70x
Preston 22 2.04x
St Marylebone London 22 1.21x
Old Monkland 21 4.82x
Warrington 21 4.40x
Dalry 20 16.74x
Whitehaven 19 12.21x
Blackburn 18 1.68x
Bury 18 3.92x
Gateshead 18 2.38x
Mile End Old Town 18 3.36x
Bradford 17 9.02x
Darlington 17 4.36x
Rutherglen 17 10.56x
Wardleworth 17 7.39x
Abbey 16 3.99x
Bothwell 16 5.38x
Cambusnethan 16 6.57x
Duddingston 16 17.54x
Eccleston In Prescot 15 7.42x
Elswick 15 3.72x
Newton 15 4.84x
Oswaldtwistle 15 10.55x
Wallsend 15 9.37x
Bootle Cum Linacre 14 4.38x
Dalserf 14 12.79x
Kirkwall St Ola 14 25.05x
Leeds 14 0.74x
Middle Greenock 14 19.52x
Tottington Lower End 14 7.32x
Whitburn 14 18.97x
Yeovil 14 12.62x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 13 0.71x
Hackney London 13 0.68x
Heap 13 6.09x
Kilmarnock 13 4.30x
Westminster St 13 10.40x
Dundonald 12 12.82x
Elton 12 8.63x
Farnworth 12 4.98x
Garston 12 10.10x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 12 2.75x
Lancaster 12 5.01x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 12 3.98x
Wigan 12 2.13x
Campsie 11 16.02x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 1.72x
Holy Trinity 11 1.36x
Kensington London 11 0.58x
Livingstone 11 63.11x
Parr 11 7.64x
Sheffield 11 1.03x
Skipton 11 10.40x
Skirbeck 11 36.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 284
Ellen 75
Sarah 73
Elizabeth 69
Catherine 66
Margaret 64
Ann 57
Bridget 49
Jane 35
Annie 33
Alice 25
Kate 20
Eliza 18
Maria 18
Rose 18
Agnes 15
Anne 11
Hannah 11
Martha 10
Harriet 8
Louisa 8
Margt. 8
Emma 7
Ada 6
Amelia 6
Esther 6
Isabella 6
Maggie 6
Rebecca 6
Caroline 5
Charlotte 5
Clara 5
Matilda 5
Susan 5
Catharine 4
Edith 4
Eleanor 4
Elizth. 4
Emily 4
Florence 4
Margret 4
Teresa 4
Theresa 4
Fanny 3
Grace 3
Harriett 3
Lucy 3
Lydia 3
Rachel 3
Louise 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 217
James 168
Thomas 115
Patrick 75
William 64
Michael 52
Edward 43
Joseph 42
George 39
Peter 26
Henry 20
Richard 17
Francis 15
Arthur 13
Charles 13
Daniel 13
Bernard 12
Hugh 12
Robert 12
Thos. 12
Christopher 10
Martin 10
Alfred 9
Andrew 9
Matthew 9
Owen 9
Walter 9
Albert 7
Frank 6
Frederick 6
Harry 6
Laurence 6
Herbert 5
Lawrence 5
Mark 5
Bartholomew 4
David 4
Denis 4
Dennis 4
Jno. 4
Mathew 4
Nicholas 4
Wm. 4
Benjamin 3
Ernest 3
Jas. 3
Maurice 3
Micheal 3
Samuel 3
Timothy 3

FAQ

Mooney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mooney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,467 people were recorded with the Mooney surname. That placed it at #1,312 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mooney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,039 in 2016. That gives Mooney a modern rank of #724.

What does the Mooney surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from Ó Moonaigh, meaning "descendant of Moonaigh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

What does the Mooney map show?

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