Show ContentsMoloney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Before Irish names were translated into English, Moloney had a Gaelic form of O Maoldhomhnaigh, which means descendant of a servant of the Church. [1]

Early Origins of the Moloney family

The surname Moloney was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where O'Moloney, "were chiefs of Cuiltenan, now the parish of Kiltonanlea, in the barony of Tulla." [2]

Early History of the Moloney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moloney research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1690, 1709, 1726, 1865, 1900, 1925, 1937, 1949 and 1976 are included under the topic Early Moloney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moloney Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. One must realize that attempting to record a Gaelic name in English is a daunting task at the best of times. Even today the translation is a difficult one. Accordingly, research into the name Moloney revealed spelling variations, including Molony, Maloney, O'Maloney, O'Molony, MacLoughney and many more.

Early Notables of the Moloney family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Father Donough O'Molony who was tortured to death in 1601. John Mullowney (c. 1690-1726) was born in Derrew, near Ballyheane, County Mayo who began his career as a horse thief and was sentenced to death in Castlebar in his youth. The Grand Jury made a deal with him in which...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Moloney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moloney Ranking

In the United States, the name Moloney is the 12,768th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3] However, in Australia, the name Moloney is ranked the 500th most popular surname with an estimated 7,618 people with that name. [4]


United States Moloney migration to the United States +

Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of Moloney:

Moloney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Eleanor Moloney, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 [5]
  • Joseph Moloney, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1772
Moloney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Moloney, who landed in Michigan in 1845 [5]
  • Michael Moloney, who arrived in Illinois in 1856-1864 [5]
  • Thomas Moloney, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1872 [5]
  • Patrick Moloney, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 [5]
  • William Moloney, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1887 [5]

Canada Moloney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moloney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Francis Moloney, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • James Moloney, aged 30, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland

Australia Moloney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Moloney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Susanna Moloney, aged 15, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" [6]
  • John Moloney, aged 21, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Time and Truth" [7]
  • Margaret Moloney, aged 26, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"
  • Catherine Moloney, aged 30, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
  • Laurence Moloney (aged 25), a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Moloney migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Moloney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Moloney, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Ellen Moloney, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
  • Mr. John Moloney, (b. 1816), aged 24, British labourer travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 [8]
  • Mrs. Ellen Moloney, (b. 1820), aged 20, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 [8]
  • Mr. Moloney, (b. 1838), aged 2, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Moloney (post 1700) +

  • William Arthur Moloney (1876-1915), American track and field athlete at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France
  • Janel Moloney (b. 1969), American Primetime Emmy Award winning actress, best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series The West Wing
  • Frederick Graham “Fred” Moloney (1882-1941), American bronze medalist at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris
  • Janel Wallace Moloney (b. 1969), American two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated actress, known for The West Wing (1999), Bang Bang You're Dead (2002) and Desperate Measures (1998)
  • Frederick Moloney (b. 1880), American Olympian who won bronze for 110m hurdles at the 1900 games
  • Terry Moloney (b. 1969), American writer, producer, director and editor
  • Michael C. Moloney (b. 1963), American Decorator and television personality
  • Michael R. Moloney, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State Senate 13th District; Elected 1975; Elected unopposed 1979, 1983, 1988 [9]
  • Michael J. Moloney, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 12th District, 1998, 2002 [9]
  • John J. Moloney (b. 1904), American politician, Mayor of Covington, Kentucky, 1952-55, 1960-63; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Kentucky 4th District, 1966 [9]
  • ... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Nicholas John Moloney (1934-1979), New Zealander Flight Engineer, from Auckland, New Zealand working aboard the Air New Zealand sightseeing Flight 901 when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash [10]


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHOEBE DUNBAR 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/phoebedunbar1852.shtml
  7. South Australian Register Thursday 9th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Time and Truth 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/timeandtruth1854.shtml
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx


Houseofnames.com on Facebook