Rooney Family History

14-Day Free Trial

GET STARTED

Rooney Name Meaning

reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh ‘descendant of Ruanadh’, a byname meaning ‘champion’. reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruadháin (see Ruane).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Downey, Looney, Mooney, Cooney, Toohey, Toomey, Moroney, Rodney

Ready to discover your family story?

Simply start with yourself and we'll do the searching for you.

Rooney Family Origin

Where is the Rooney family from?

Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map
You can see how Rooney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Rooney family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Rooney families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 984 Rooney families living in Lancashire. This was about 50% of all the recorded Rooney's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Rooney families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Rooney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Rooney

Rooney Family Occupations

What did your Rooney ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the UK named Rooney. 7% of Rooney men worked as a General Labourer and 46% of Rooney women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Rooney were Dock Labourer and Housewife

View Census data for Rooney | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    2%
  • Bricklayer
    1%
  • Dock Labourer
    1%

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    46%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Rooney Historical Records

What Rooney family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 151,000 census records available for the last name Rooney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Rooney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Rooney

Passenger List

There are 37,000 immigration records available for the last name Rooney. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Rooney immigration records

Draft Card

There are 26,000 military records available for the last name Rooney. For the veterans among your Rooney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Rooney military records

You've only scratched the surface of Rooney family history.

Discover More

Rooney Life Expectancy

What is the average Rooney lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Rooney life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Rooney in 1940 was 36, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Rooney

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Rooney ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Rooney Family Ancestors

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in your family tree

Famous ancestors img
Look up another name