NameCensus.

UK surname

Tunney

A surname derived from the Irish Gaelic word "tuinnidhe" meaning a wave or billow.

In the 1881 census there were 262 people recorded with the Tunney surname, ranking it #10,721 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 746, ranked #7,323, up from #10,721 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Wigan and Brancepeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tunney is 816 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 184.7%.

1881 census count

262

Ranked #10,721

Modern count

746

2016, ranked #7,323

Peak year

1999

816 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tunney had 262 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,721 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 746 in 2016, ranked #7,323.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 462 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Tunney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Tunney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tunney 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 129 #17,271
1881 historical 262 #10,721
1891 historical 294 #11,288
1901 historical 320 #11,142
1911 historical 462 #8,329
1997 modern 763 #6,790
1998 modern 815 #6,660
1999 modern 816 #6,687
2000 modern 795 #6,807
2001 modern 780 #6,776
2002 modern 796 #6,805
2003 modern 772 #6,848
2004 modern 766 #6,913
2005 modern 756 #6,913
2006 modern 747 #7,006
2007 modern 762 #6,964
2008 modern 759 #7,046
2009 modern 783 #7,001
2010 modern 803 #7,003
2011 modern 774 #7,133
2012 modern 744 #7,275
2013 modern 744 #7,395
2014 modern 755 #7,334
2015 modern 748 #7,315
2016 modern 746 #7,323

Geography

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Where Tunneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Wigan, Brancepeth, Liverpool and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Mansfield and Swansea. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Brancepeth Durham
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 008 Hartlepool
2 Stockton-on-Tees 012 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Newcastle-under-Lyme 011 Newcastle-under-Lyme
4 Mansfield 007 Mansfield
5 Swansea 005 Swansea

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tunney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tunney

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Tunney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Tunney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tunney 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

Tunney 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

Tunney 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 Tunney 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Tunney

The surname Tunney has its origins in Ireland, where it emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "tonnaidhe," which means "stutterer" or "stammerer." The name likely referred to someone who had a speech impediment or difficulty speaking fluently.

The Tunney surname is most closely associated with County Clare in western Ireland. It appears in various early records and documents from this region, often spelled slightly differently, such as Toney, Tounney, or Tawnay. Some of the earliest records of the name date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

One notable historical reference to the Tunney name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a "Tuathal Tonaidhe" (Tuathal the Stutterer) who was a king of the Ui Fiachrach Aidne, a prominent dynasty in what is now County Galway.

The earliest recorded bearer of the Tunney surname seems to be Dermot Toney, who was born around 1580 in County Clare. Another early example is John Tounney, a merchant from Ennis, County Clare, who was active in the late 16th century.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Tunney surname. These include:

1. James Joseph Tunney (1897-1953), an Irish-American boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1926 to 1928. 2. Gene Tunney (1897-1978), an American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion, considered one of the greatest fighters of the 1920s. 3. John Tunney (born 1934), an American politician and former U.S. Senator from California, serving from 1971 to 1977. 4. Thomas Tunney (1861-1944), an Irish-born American businessman and real estate developer in Chicago. 5. John Tunney (1562-1619), an Irish Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Killaloe from 1609 until his death.

The Tunney surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Toonagh (derived from "Tón na hAighe," meaning "bottom of the field") and Tuamgraney (from "Tóin Gréine," meaning "sunny bottom"), both located in County Clare.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tunney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tunney 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 75 Tunneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.51x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 75 2.51x
Northumberland 53 14.15x
Yorkshire 46 1.84x
Staffordshire 19 2.24x
Norfolk 15 3.88x
Cheshire 14 2.52x
Durham 11 1.47x
Surrey 7 0.57x
Middlesex 6 0.24x
Renfrewshire 3 1.54x
Lanarkshire 2 0.25x
Royal Navy 2 6.67x
Channel Islands 1 1.34x
Hampshire 1 0.19x
Lincolnshire 1 0.25x
Suffolk 1 0.33x
Warwickshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cramlington in Northumberland leads with 28 Tunneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 565.66x.

Place Total Index
Cramlington 28 565.66x
Haslingden 16 129.35x
Bradford 13 21.53x
Preston 13 16.27x
Liverpool 11 6.06x
Ditchingham 9 967.74x
Linthorpe 9 60.48x
Thornaby 8 85.84x
Weetslade 8 1230.77x
Wolverhampton 8 12.25x
Brampton Bierlow 7 219.44x
Earsdon 7 229.51x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 21.59x
Leftwich 7 283.40x
Lichfield St Michael 7 262.17x
Middlewich 7 614.04x
Newington 7 7.53x
Radcliffe 6 41.67x
Blackburn 5 6.29x
Cheetham 5 22.45x
East Hartford 5 5000.00x
Hartley 5 500.00x
Kirkdale 5 9.95x
Wardleworth 5 29.29x
Gressenhall 4 555.56x
Haworth 4 67.45x
Bilston 3 18.23x
East Greenock 3 16.29x
Freckleton 3 306.12x
St Marylebone London 3 2.23x
Staindrop 3 263.16x
Barony 2 0.97x
Bowling 2 8.10x
Royal Navy 2 7.80x
Thetford St Peter 2 196.08x
Aiskew 1 138.89x
Aston 1 0.57x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.11x
East Bergholt 1 98.04x
Everton 1 1.05x
Farnborough 1 18.45x
Hartlepool 1 9.40x
Holbeach 1 22.32x
Horton In Bradford 1 2.57x
Lancaster 1 5.63x
Manchester 1 0.74x
Normanby In 1 14.99x
Norwood 1 17.39x
Rusholme 1 12.55x
St George Hanover 1 3.04x
St Helier 1 4.12x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.11x
Westminster St James 1 3.87x
Whittingham 1 75.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 31
Bridget 11
Jane 10
Elizabeth 6
Ellen 6
Sarah 6
Annie 5
Margaret 5
Ann 4
Catherine 4
Anne 3
Maria 3
Barbra 2
Cathrine 2
Georgina 2
Kate 2
Matilda 2
Winifred 2
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Caroline 1
Cather 1
Charen 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Maud 1
Rachel 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
Thomas 11
James 8
Michael 7
William 7
Patrick 6
Edward 5
George 5
Hugh 4
Joseph 4
Daniel 3
Martin 3
Alexander 2
Alfred 2
Anthony 2
Frederick 2
Jas. 2
Peter 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Andrew 1
Barton 1
Bernard 1
Charles 1
Cornelis 1
David 1
Dennis 1
Edmond 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Ian 1
Patsy 1
Richd. 1
Roger 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm.T.H. 1

FAQ

Tunney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tunney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 262 people were recorded with the Tunney surname. That placed it at #10,721 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tunney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 746 in 2016. That gives Tunney a modern rank of #7,323.

What does the Tunney surname mean?

A surname derived from the Irish Gaelic word "tuinnidhe" meaning a wave or billow.

What does the Tunney map show?

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