NameCensus.

UK surname

Rooney

Descendant of Ruadhán, an Irish given name meaning "little red-haired one" or "little red one."

In the 1881 census there were 2,679 people recorded with the Rooney surname, ranking it #1,659 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,767, ranked #748, up from #1,659 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Toxteth Park and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Bellshill South and Doon Valley North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rooney is 8,943 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 227.2%.

1881 census count

2,679

Ranked #1,659

Modern count

8,767

2016, ranked #748

Peak year

2010

8,943 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rooney had 2,679 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,659 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,767 in 2016, ranked #748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,587 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Rooney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rooney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rooney 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 923 #2,991
1861 historical 1,126 #2,491
1881 historical 2,679 #1,659
1891 historical 2,981 #1,580
1901 historical 3,587 #1,561
1911 historical 2,508 #2,047
1997 modern 7,547 #849
1998 modern 7,910 #848
1999 modern 8,008 #846
2000 modern 7,944 #844
2001 modern 7,816 #841
2002 modern 8,013 #840
2003 modern 7,865 #824
2004 modern 7,916 #817
2005 modern 7,909 #809
2006 modern 8,028 #800
2007 modern 8,159 #791
2008 modern 8,349 #777
2009 modern 8,676 #765
2010 modern 8,943 #756
2011 modern 8,716 #764
2012 modern 8,567 #761
2013 modern 8,696 #764
2014 modern 8,831 #757
2015 modern 8,760 #751
2016 modern 8,767 #748

Geography

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Where Rooneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, 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 Copeland, Bellshill South, Doon Valley North, Pather and Sefton. 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 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 004 Copeland
2 Bellshill South North Lanarkshire
3 Doon Valley North East Ayrshire
4 Pather North Lanarkshire
5 Sefton 038 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rooney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rooney

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

Rooney 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

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

Meaning and origin of Rooney

The surname Rooney is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh or Ó Rónáin, meaning "descendant of Rónán". Rónán was a popular personal name in ancient Ireland, derived from the word "rón", meaning a seal or sea lion.

The name is believed to have originated in County Donegal, particularly in the Rosses area and the Inishowen peninsula. It was among the principal families of the Cenél Conaill dynasty that ruled this region from the 5th to the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1143, it mentions the death of "Annadh Ua Ruanaidh, chief of Muintir-Ruanaidh".

The surname Rooney is also found in various historical documents from the 16th century onwards, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Hearth Money Rolls of the 17th century.

Notable historical figures with the surname Rooney include:

1. Sir Andrew Rooney (c. 1500-1558), an Irish judge and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. 2. Andrew Rooney (1919-2011), an American radio and television writer and commentator. 3. John Rooney (c. 1590-1650), an Irish Catholic bishop and theologian. 4. Patrick Rooney (1779-1858), an Irish-American businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania. 5. Dan Rooney (1932-2017), an American sports executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland.

The surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Rooneystown (County Donegal) and Rooneyville (County Mayo), reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this name in these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rooney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rooney 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 968 Rooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.13x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 968 3.13x
Lanarkshire 522 6.19x
Durham 138 1.78x
Yorkshire 135 0.52x
Middlesex 115 0.44x
Cumberland 104 4.63x
Cheshire 97 1.69x
Warwickshire 75 1.14x
Angus 57 2.36x
Midlothian 55 1.58x
Surrey 46 0.36x
Dunbartonshire 43 6.14x
Staffordshire 42 0.48x
Northumberland 31 0.80x
Renfrewshire 27 1.34x
Kent 23 0.26x
Ayrshire 20 1.03x
Essex 17 0.33x
Hampshire 17 0.32x
Devon 14 0.26x
Glamorgan 14 0.31x
Flintshire 10 1.43x
Stirlingshire 10 1.04x
Roxburghshire 8 1.69x
West Lothian 8 2.04x
East Lothian 7 2.03x
Kirkcudbrightshire 7 1.86x
Selkirkshire 6 2.54x
Cambridgeshire 5 0.30x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.14x
Denbighshire 4 0.41x
Gloucestershire 4 0.08x
Leicestershire 4 0.14x
Lincolnshire 4 0.10x
Ross-shire 4 0.56x
Sussex 3 0.07x
Fife 2 0.13x
Peeblesshire 2 1.63x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.24x
Royal Navy 2 0.64x
Suffolk 2 0.06x
Worcestershire 2 0.06x
Anglesey 1 0.22x
Argyllshire 1 0.14x
Buteshire 1 0.63x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.09x
Dorset 1 0.06x
Herefordshire 1 0.09x
Isle of Man 1 0.21x
Monmouthshire 1 0.05x
Perthshire 1 0.09x
Wigtownshire 1 0.29x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

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 187 Rooneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.96x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 187 9.96x
Toxteth Park 134 12.79x
Govan 115 5.52x
Glasgow 95 6.35x
Manchester 85 6.11x
Barony 76 3.56x
Old Monkland 62 18.53x
Birmingham 60 2.74x
Kirkdale 55 10.57x
West Derby 49 5.42x
Oldham 47 4.71x
Everton 38 3.85x
Hulme 36 5.58x
Tottington Lower End 34 23.13x
New Monkland 33 13.24x
Dundee 31 3.44x
Bothwell 29 12.69x
Whitehaven 28 23.41x
Stockport 27 9.12x
Blantyre 25 28.49x
Cleator 25 26.76x
Liff Benvie 23 6.27x
Bootle Cum Linacre 22 8.96x
Gorbals 22 43.96x
Rutherglen 22 17.79x
Widnes 22 9.86x
Birkenhead 20 4.36x
Preston Quarter 20 31.81x
St George In East 20 11.28x
Sheffield 19 2.31x
Middlesbrough 18 5.35x
Bishopwearmouth 17 2.55x
Salford 17 1.87x
Bradford 16 2.56x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 16 4.76x
Lambeth 16 0.70x
Barrow In Furness 15 3.57x
Blackburn 15 1.82x
Inveresk 15 15.87x
Pendleton In Salford 15 4.07x
Preston 15 1.81x
Stoke Upon Trent 15 1.61x
Avondale 14 28.40x
Aston 13 0.72x
Dumbarton 13 13.33x
Elswick 13 4.20x
Gateshead 13 2.24x
Tonge 13 20.03x
Acton 12 7.85x
Wigan 12 2.78x
Galston 11 20.62x
Hackney London 11 0.75x
Hyde 11 6.48x
Heworth 10 6.54x
Llandaff 10 6.62x
Warrington 10 2.73x
Clapham 9 2.76x
Deptford St Paul 9 1.31x
Monks Coppenhall 9 4.15x
Monkwearmouth Shore 9 5.95x
Barton Upon Irwell 8 3.44x
Chorlton On Medlock 8 1.63x
Conside Knitsley 8 13.27x
Coundon Grange 8 47.03x
East Greenock 8 4.19x
Failsworth 8 11.31x
Kilsyth 8 13.05x
Livingstone 8 59.75x
Maryhill 8 4.85x
Oakmere 8 219.18x
Old Kilpatrick 8 9.67x
Plymouth St Andrew 8 1.91x
Rushall 8 15.45x
Walton On Hill 8 4.77x
Dalziel 7 7.72x
East Murton 7 48.21x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 4.50x
St Luke London 7 1.67x
Urr 7 14.26x
Workington 7 5.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 209
Margaret 59
Elizabeth 56
Catherine 53
Ellen 46
Sarah 45
Ann 40
Bridget 39
Jane 25
Kate 19
Annie 18
Alice 17
Eliza 17
Hannah 15
Rose 13
Julia 12
Isabella 11
Maria 9
Agnes 8
Harriet 8
Susan 8
Anne 7
Emily 7
Fanny 7
Margt. 7
Elizth. 5
Emma 5
Louisa 5
Maggie 5
Catharine 4
Florence 4
Frances 4
Lucy 4
Margret 4
Amy 3
Caroline 3
Ethel 3
Martha 3
Teresa 3
Winifred 3
Barbara 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Elenor 2
Henrietta 2
Mabel 2
Minnie 2
Phoebe 2
Rachel 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 173
James 116
Thomas 93
William 61
Patrick 50
Michael 32
Edward 31
Peter 29
Hugh 27
Charles 25
Joseph 25
George 21
Daniel 17
Francis 17
Bernard 15
Martin 14
Henry 12
Robert 10
Alfred 9
Owen 8
Thos. 8
Frederick 7
Christopher 6
Frank 6
Samuel 6
Andrew 5
Chas. 5
Matthew 5
Richard 5
Arthur 4
Cornelius 4
David 4
Edwd. 4
Alexander 3
Denis 3
Dennis 3
Herbert 3
Jas. 3
Roger 3
Wm. 3
Aaron 2
Bryan 2
Edwin 2
Laurence 2
Mark 2
Micheal 2
Percy 2
Robt. 2
Stephen 2
Timothy 2

FAQ

Rooney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rooney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,679 people were recorded with the Rooney surname. That placed it at #1,659 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rooney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,767 in 2016. That gives Rooney a modern rank of #748.

What does the Rooney surname mean?

Descendant of Ruadhán, an Irish given name meaning "little red-haired one" or "little red one."

What does the Rooney map show?

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