NameCensus.

UK surname

Sweeney

Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Mac Suibhne," meaning "son of Suibhne" (pleasant or well-disposed).

In the 1881 census there were 3,997 people recorded with the Sweeney surname, ranking it #1,135 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,462, ranked #474, up from #1,135 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Govan Combination and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Toryglen and Oatlands, Govanhill East and Aikenhead and Parkhead West and Barrowfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sweeney is 13,626 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 236.8%.

1881 census count

3,997

Ranked #1,135

Modern count

13,462

2016, ranked #474

Peak year

2010

13,626 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sweeney had 3,997 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,135 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,462 in 2016, ranked #474.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,188 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sweeney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sweeney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sweeney 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 1,244 #2,300
1861 historical 1,548 #1,836
1881 historical 3,997 #1,135
1891 historical 4,082 #1,179
1901 historical 5,188 #1,083
1911 historical 3,655 #1,429
1997 modern 12,212 #505
1998 modern 12,601 #510
1999 modern 12,770 #505
2000 modern 12,713 #505
2001 modern 12,380 #506
2002 modern 12,699 #504
2003 modern 12,410 #504
2004 modern 12,418 #503
2005 modern 12,417 #494
2006 modern 12,511 #487
2007 modern 12,701 #488
2008 modern 12,791 #487
2009 modern 13,195 #484
2010 modern 13,626 #478
2011 modern 13,372 #481
2012 modern 13,161 #482
2013 modern 13,453 #484
2014 modern 13,594 #482
2015 modern 13,488 #480
2016 modern 13,462 #474

Geography

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Where Sweeneys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Toryglen and Oatlands, Govanhill East and Aikenhead, Parkhead West and Barrowfield, Greenock East and Cathcart. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City
2 Govanhill East and Aikenhead Glasgow City
3 Parkhead West and Barrowfield Glasgow City
4 Greenock East Inverclyde
5 Cathcart Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sweeney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sweeney

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Sweeney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sweeney 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

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

Meaning and origin of Sweeney

The surname Sweeney originated in Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name O'Suanaigh, which means "descendant of Suanach." The name Suanach itself is derived from the Gaelic word "suan," meaning "sleep" or "slumber."

Sweeney is a common surname found primarily in counties Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the southwestern part of Ireland. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled at the monastery on Inisfallen Island in County Kerry.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Donnchadh O'Suanaigh, who was the Bishop of Limerick from 1207 to 1224. Another notable figure was Niall O'Suanaigh, who served as the Chief of the Name and Lord of Clonderlaw in County Clare in the 14th century.

The Sweeney family played a significant role in the wars between the Irish chieftains and the Anglo-Norman invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Several members of the family were noted warriors and leaders, including Dermot Sweeney, who was killed in battle against the English in 1369.

In the 16th century, the Sweeneys were among the Irish families who were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantations of Munster and Ulster. Some Sweeneys anglicized their name to Swayne or Swain to avoid persecution.

Notable individuals with the surname Sweeney include John Sweeney (1766-1839), an Irish-American author and journalist; Jane Sweeney (1815-1891), an Irish-American labor activist and advocate for women's rights; and John Cameron Sweeney (1900-1986), an American poet and literary critic.

Other famous Sweeneys include Francis Sweeney (1811-1890), an Irish-American Catholic priest and founder of the Sisters of Mercy in San Francisco, and John Sweeney (born 1934), an American labor leader who served as the president of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sweeney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sweeney 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 983 Sweeneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.12x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 983 2.12x
Lanarkshire 637 5.04x
Middlesex 473 1.21x
Yorkshire 276 0.71x
Durham 192 1.65x
Surrey 146 0.77x
Renfrewshire 145 4.78x
Cheshire 129 1.49x
Staffordshire 110 0.83x
Northumberland 91 1.56x
Glamorgan 81 1.19x
Kent 81 0.61x
Warwickshire 64 0.65x
Dunbartonshire 62 5.90x
Midlothian 60 1.15x
Monmouthshire 44 1.56x
Angus 42 1.16x
Essex 36 0.47x
Devon 29 0.36x
Hampshire 28 0.35x
Hertfordshire 28 1.04x
Channel Islands 17 1.47x
Gloucestershire 17 0.22x
Wigtownshire 17 3.27x
Stirlingshire 14 0.97x
Derbyshire 13 0.21x
Denbighshire 12 0.81x
Perthshire 12 0.68x
Cumberland 11 0.33x
Huntingdonshire 11 1.42x
Royal Navy 11 2.36x
West Lothian 11 1.87x
Worcestershire 11 0.22x
Sussex 10 0.15x
Montgomeryshire 9 1.00x
Argyllshire 8 0.73x
Cornwall 8 0.18x
Caernarfonshire 7 0.44x
Pembrokeshire 7 0.56x
Ayrshire 6 0.21x
Herefordshire 6 0.37x
Lincolnshire 6 0.10x
Oxfordshire 6 0.25x
Isle of Man 5 0.69x
Leicestershire 5 0.12x
Northamptonshire 4 0.11x
Fife 3 0.13x
Roxburghshire 3 0.42x
Selkirkshire 3 0.85x
Shropshire 3 0.09x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.06x
Bedfordshire 2 0.10x
Dorset 2 0.08x
Inverness-shire 2 0.17x
Norfolk 2 0.03x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.04x
Berkshire 1 0.03x
Cardiganshire 1 0.10x
Merionethshire 1 0.14x
Somerset 1 0.02x
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 226 Sweeneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.02x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 226 8.02x
Glasgow 191 8.50x
Govan 155 4.95x
Barony 132 4.12x
Manchester 108 5.17x
Everton 59 3.99x
Salford 51 3.74x
Gateshead 45 5.16x
Birmingham 41 1.25x
Sheffield 41 3.32x
Wakefield 40 13.44x
Dumbarton 36 24.61x
Fulham London 34 5.99x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 33 9.49x
Preston 32 2.58x
Over Darwen 31 8.36x
Kirkdale 30 3.84x
Wigan 30 4.63x
Birkenhead 29 4.21x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 29 1.38x
Lambeth 28 0.82x
St Pancras London 28 0.89x
West Greenock 28 5.15x
Bothwell 27 7.87x
Burslem 27 7.14x
Dundee 27 2.00x
St George In East 27 10.15x
West Ham 27 1.58x
Hamilton 26 7.37x
St Marylebone London 26 1.24x
Old Monkland 24 4.78x
Great Bolton 23 3.74x
Hackney London 23 1.05x
Chelsea London 22 1.87x
Merthyr Tydfil 22 3.36x
Sunderland 22 10.70x
Limehouse London 21 4.89x
Battersea 20 1.39x
Garston 20 14.60x
Kensington London 20 0.92x
Chorlton On Medlock 19 2.58x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 19 3.77x
Westminster St John 19 3.99x
New Monkland 18 4.81x
Newport 18 13.34x
Toxteth Park 18 1.15x
Cardross 17 13.47x
Port Glasgow 17 11.60x
Stranton 17 4.34x
Swansea Town 17 3.04x
Aston 16 0.59x
Leeds 16 0.73x
Ware 16 20.70x
Abbey 15 3.24x
Bedwellty 15 3.00x
Bethnal Green London 15 0.88x
Islington London 15 0.40x
Keighley 15 3.63x
Portsea 15 0.95x
Dukinfield 14 3.51x
Eastwood 14 7.50x
Isleworth 14 8.05x
Leftwich 14 36.51x
Newington 14 0.97x
Whitechapel London 14 3.63x
Blackburn 13 1.05x
Bradford 13 1.39x
Greenwich 13 2.09x
Oldham 13 0.87x
St Botolph Aldgate 13 24.34x
Stockton On Tees 13 2.32x
Bermondsey 12 1.03x
Elswick 12 2.58x
Hulme 12 1.24x
Middlewich 12 67.53x
Newcastle On Tyne St 12 3.98x
North Meols 12 2.64x
Paisley Middle Church 12 6.80x
Throston 12 53.74x
Wardleworth 12 4.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 320
Margaret 110
Ellen 96
Catherine 92
Bridget 75
Ann 72
Elizabeth 65
Sarah 41
Jane 39
Annie 28
Kate 27
Julia 23
Eliza 20
Hannah 20
Agnes 18
Maria 18
Emma 17
Alice 16
Johanna 14
Charlotte 13
Louisa 11
Anne 9
Rose 9
Emily 8
Caroline 7
Catharine 7
Isabella 7
Martha 7
Florence 6
Jessie 6
Lucy 6
Rebecca 6
Winifred 6
Clara 5
Edith 5
Elizth. 5
Frances 5
Honora 5
May 5
Ada 4
Fanny 4
Harriet 4
Matilda 4
Norah 4
Sophia 4
Susan 4
Amelia 3
Cathrine 3
Maggie 3
Margret 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 290
James 159
Thomas 124
Patrick 122
Michael 104
William 78
Edward 67
George 38
Joseph 38
Daniel 33
Charles 22
Henry 22
Martin 20
Hugh 17
Francis 16
Robert 16
Dennis 15
Owen 13
Peter 13
Anthony 12
Bernard 10
Denis 10
Alexander 9
Cornelius 9
Frank 9
Richard 9
Jeremiah 8
Samuel 8
Thos. 8
Arthur 7
Miles 7
Timothy 7
David 6
Walter 6
Wm. 6
Alfred 5
Luke 5
Stephen 5
Edmund 4
Edwd. 4
Eugene 4
Frederick 4
Micheal 4
Michel 4
Michl. 4
Roger 4
Terence 4
Willm. 4
Chas. 3
Terance 3

FAQ

Sweeney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sweeney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,997 people were recorded with the Sweeney surname. That placed it at #1,135 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sweeney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,462 in 2016. That gives Sweeney a modern rank of #474.

What does the Sweeney surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Mac Suibhne," meaning "son of Suibhne" (pleasant or well-disposed).

What does the Sweeney map show?

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