2000
#62,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Clooney
An anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Clúmhán, meaning descendant of a recluse or hermit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 304 Americans carry the last name Clooney. That puts it at #77,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,127,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clooney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clooney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
304
1 in 1,127,481
Census rank
#77,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
265
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 265 bearers of the surname Clooney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clooney
The surname Clooney is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the Gaelic regions of the country. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cluain," which means "meadow" or "pasture." It is likely that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked in a meadow or pasture area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Clooney surname date back to the 16th century, with records indicating that the name was prevalent in counties such as Laois, Offaly, and Kilkenny. In these regions, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Cloney, Cluney, and Cloony, reflecting the linguistic variations and dialects present in different parts of Ireland at the time.
One of the earliest known references to the Clooney surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a branch of the O'Cluain family, which is believed to be an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Clooney.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Clooney surname. One of the earliest was John Clooney (c. 1580-1660), an Irish Catholic priest who served as a chaplain in the Confederate War in Ireland during the 1640s. Another prominent figure was Michael Clooney (1766-1841), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Portarlington in the early 19th century.
In more recent times, the Clooney surname has gained widespread recognition due to the fame of the American actor and filmmaker George Clooney, born in 1961. George Clooney's ancestors can be traced back to County Kilkenny, Ireland, where the Clooney surname has deep roots.
Other notable individuals with the Clooney surname include Nick Clooney (born 1934), an American television journalist and brother of George Clooney, and Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), an American singer and actress who was a successful recording artist in the 1950s and 1960s.
While the Clooney surname may have evolved from a humble descriptive term for someone living in a meadow, it has since become associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including religion, politics, entertainment, and journalism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clooney
Among Census respondents with the surname Clooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Clooney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Clooney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 5
- Two or more races1.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clooney
Clooney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#70,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
-22 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,058 places
2020
#77,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
-11 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 7,088 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,775 | 298 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #70,833 | 276 | 0.09 | -22 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 8,058 places |
| 2020 | #77,921 | 265 | 0.09 | -11 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,088 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Clooney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #70,833 | #77,921 | -10.0% |
| Count | 276 | 265 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clooney bearers went from 276 to 265 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,088 positions in the national ranking, going from #70,833 to #77,921.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Clooney
FAQ
Clooney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clooney?
Name Census estimates that about 304 living Americans carry the surname Clooney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,127,481 residents.
How common is Clooney?
Clooney ranks #77,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 265 people with the surname Clooney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Clooney.
Has Clooney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clooney went from 276 recorded bearers to 265. That is a decrease of 11 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #70,833 to #77,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Clooney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clooney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clooney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clooney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Clooney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Clooney mean?
An anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Clúmhán, meaning descendant of a recluse or hermit. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Clooney (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Clooney?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Clooney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.