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Rooney Family History

Rooney Name Meaning

Irish:: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh or Ó Ruanadha ‘descendant of Ruanadh’ a personal name from ruanaidh ‘strong man champion’. Ó Ruanaidhín was a variant in Connacht and Rowan might be adopted as equivalent in Down. Compare Mac Ruanaidh now Croney in Scottish Gaelic. shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maolruanaidh see Mulrooney and Moroney .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Rooney family from?

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 USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 26 Rooney families living in New York. This was about 54% of all the recorded Rooney's in USA. New York had the highest population of Rooney families in 1840.
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.

What did your Rooney ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Rooney. 12% of Rooney men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Rooney women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Rooney were Clerk and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Rooney | Data not to scale

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

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    12%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Farmer
    6%
  • Clerk
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    10%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Housewife
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Rooney family records will you find?

Census Records

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 US census records for Rooney

Passenger Lists

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 USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

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.

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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

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