2000
#7,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,328
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Devaney
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Duibheanaigh, meaning "descendant of Duibheanach," a personal name meaning "black bird."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,637 Americans carry the last name Devaney. That puts it at #7,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,917 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Devaney 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 Devaney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 73,917
Census rank
#7,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,044 bearers of the surname Devaney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Devaney
The surname Devaney is believed to have originated in Ireland. It is thought to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Daimhín, which means "descendant of Daimhín." Daimhín is a diminutive form of the personal name Damh, meaning "ox" or "stag."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Devaney can be traced back to the 16th century in County Offaly, located in the province of Leinster, Ireland. The name was particularly prevalent in the baronies of Ballybritt and Clonlisk within County Offaly.
In the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, there is a mention of a Terence Ó Daimhín who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the Gaelic nobility in County Offaly.
The Devaney surname has also been associated with certain place names in Ireland, such as Devany (or Devaney), a townland in County Fermanagh, and Devenish, an island in Lower Lough Erne, which was once home to an important monastic settlement.
One notable figure with the surname Devaney was Thomas Devaney (1790-1858), an Irish-born Catholic priest who immigrated to the United States and served as the first Bishop of Boston from 1854 until his death.
Another prominent Devaney was Michael Devaney (1857-1935), an Irish journalist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Belfast West from 1918 to 1922.
In the literary world, Patrick Devaney (1904-1992) was an Irish writer and poet known for his works exploring themes of rural life in County Sligo, where he was born and raised.
John Devaney (1884-1949) was an American labor leader who served as the president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1919 to 1925.
Mary Devaney (1856-1927) was an Irish-born American actress who performed in various theatrical productions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including several Broadway shows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Devaney
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Devaney 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 Devaney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,671
- Two or more races3.8% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 134
- Black or African American1.0% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Devaney
Devaney 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
#7,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,549
+221 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#7,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,044
-505 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 538 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,118 | 4,328 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,333 | 4,549 | 1.54 | +221 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #7,871 | 4,044 | 1.35 | -505 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 538 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 Devaney 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 | #7,333 | #7,871 | -7.3% |
| Count | 4,549 | 4,044 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.35 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Devaney bearers went from 4,549 to 4,044 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 538 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,333 to #7,871.
FAQ
Devaney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Devaney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,637 living Americans carry the surname Devaney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,917 residents.
How common is Devaney?
Devaney ranks #7,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,044 people with the surname Devaney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Devaney.
Has Devaney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Devaney went from 4,549 recorded bearers to 4,044. That is a decrease of 505 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,333 to #7,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Devaney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Devaney, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Devaney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Devaney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Devaney (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 Devaney mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Duibheanaigh, meaning "descendant of Duibheanach," a personal name meaning "black bird." 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 Devaney (1.35 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 many people share the surname Devaney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.