The Kearney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,706 people carried this name — #1,730 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,200 people counted. That is up 4% from 19,938 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Kearney surname

Borrowed from Irish Ó Ceithearnaigh.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kearney» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 147 births for the Kearney name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 50
Ulster 45
Munster 31
Connacht 21

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 289 people named Kearney live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 198
City of Buenos Aires 36
Córdoba 28
Santa Fe 27

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

41 people named Kearney have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 64 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 5 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lower Silesian 19
Pomeranian 11
Greater Poland 7
Łódź 2
Silesian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

33 people named Kearney live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 9
Geneva 8
Vaud 5
Schwyz 4
Zug 4
Solothurn 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Kearney is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Kearney was recorded 32 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 769th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 46. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Kearney in American newspapers,
1901–1925.

Newspaper page from The Brandon News carrying the name Kearney
The Brandon News 1922-08-17
Newspaper page from The Republican Journal carrying the name Kearney
The Republican Journal 1901-06-13
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Kearney
The Ronan Pioneer 1925-07-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 304,109 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kearney in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

71,340 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kearney. The most, 10,199, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 27,598
Queensland 16,854
Victoria 10,686
Tasmania 8,199
South Australia 4,069
Western Australia 3,162
ACT (Canberra) 389
Northern Territory 36

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kearney.

Who carried it

People named Kearney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Kearney
    John Kearney 1742–1813 · Anglican priest
  • Francis Kearney
    Francis Kearney 1785–1837 · printmaker
  • Denis Kearney
    Denis Kearney 1847–1907 · drayman
  • Belle Kearney
    Belle Kearney 1863–1939 · politician
  • Sydney Kearney
    Sydney Kearney 1870–1923 · solicitor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 287 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kearney,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States5,849 records

5,849 records of the Kearney name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,763
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,625
  • Other U.S. records 2,461
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Timothy William Kearney

    Born 1945; from Rock Island, Illinois. U.S. Army, helicopter pilot; killed in action 1967 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas J. Kearney

    Born 1909 in New Hampshire. Enlisted 1945 at Manchester; painter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Pine Grove Cemetery, Bedford, New Hampshire.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Kearney

    Arrived at Boston in 1848 aboard the Niagara from Cork, aged 25; laborer. From Cork, Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 5,849 records for Kearney in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,971 records

1,971 records of the Kearney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 664
  • Tasmanian Names Index 494
  • Other Australian records 813
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Catherine Kearney

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Greenlaw, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Calcutta, Bengal. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Kearney

    Died 1873 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 62. Will registered in Tasmania in 1873.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fred E. Kearney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Alcinous, aged 20; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,971 records for Kearney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada162 records

162 records of the Kearney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 119
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 18
  • Other Canadian records 25
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Patrick Kearney

    Killed in 1900 at the Caledonia Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Joan Sylvia Kearney

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Mausoleum, Calgary, Alberta, aged 49.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Georgina Kearney

    Died 1976; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 162 records for Kearney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland70 records

70 records of the Kearney name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frank Kearney

    Died 1969, aged 45; buried at Toreena, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Kearney

    Died 1991, aged 81; buried at Boyounagh, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martin Kearney

    Died 1900, aged 18; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 70 records for Kearney in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand68 records

68 records of the Kearney name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 59
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 4
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Kearney

    Buried in 1941 at Akaroa Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 59.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Kearney

    Buried in 1925 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 66.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Kearney

    Died 1929, aged 80; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 68 records for Kearney in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom23 records

23 records of the Kearney name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 15
  • Stirling Council burial records 4
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Kearney

    Buried in 1968 at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 28.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Kearney

    Buried in 1826 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 21.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Kearney

    Army Cyclist Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Kearney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France3 records

3 records of the Kearney name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Roy Arthur Kearney

    Born 1929 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Lille (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Mary Frances Kearney

    Born 1950 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Machecoul (Loire-Atlantique).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Kearney in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kearney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kearney is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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