Show ContentsRoney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Roney is Ó Ruanaidh.

Early Origins of the Roney family

The surname Roney was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren.

Early History of the Roney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roney research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1079 and 1288 are included under the topic Early Roney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roney Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Roney family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including O'Rooney, Rooney, Roony, Roonay, Roney and others.

Early Notables of the Roney family

More information is included under the topic Early Roney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roney Ranking

In the United States, the name Roney is the 3,683rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Roney migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Roney or a variant listed above:

Roney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Roney, aged 19, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 2
  • Daniel Roney, aged 24, who landed in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1805 2
  • Catherine Roney, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • Patrick Roney, aged 28, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1837 2
  • Arthur Roney, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Roney, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Neptune" in 1834
  • Dan Roney, aged 72, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Neptune" in 1834

Roney migration to Australia +

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

Roney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Roney, Scottish labourer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • Mary Roney, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Nashwauk" 4
  • William Roney (aged 34), a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Gomelza"

Contemporary Notables of the name Roney (post 1700) +

  • Wallace Roney (1960-2020), American jazz (hard bop and post-bop) trumpeter who died of COVID-19
  • Antoine Roney (b. 1963), American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist
  • Matthew Stephen Roney (b. 1980), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher
  • Paul Hitch Roney (1921-2006), United States federal judge
  • Terri Roney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1996 5
  • Kristy Roney, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 2008 5
  • John E. Roney, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1915 5
  • James Roney, American politician, Mayor of Vallejo, California, 1914 5
  • Irving S. Roney, American politician, Representative from New York 9th District, 1890 5
  • Harvey Roney, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1948, 1952 5
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
  4. South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nashwauk 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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