Home › Baby Names Directory › Carney

Carney

♂ Boy

Pronounced KAR-nee /ˈkɑr.ni/Medium

Meaning: Carney is an Irish surname, an Anglicization of the Gaelic O Cearnaigh, 'descendant of Cearnach,' with cearnach meaning 'victorious.' Like many Irish surnames, it passed into occasional American first-name use.Medium

In 30 seconds: Carney is an Irish surname name meaning 'victorious,' from the Gaelic O Cearnaigh. As a first name it stayed rare, peaking early around 1918 (said KAR-nee).

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumIrish, Gaelic

MeaningCarney is an Irish surname, an Anglicization of the Gaelic O Cearnaigh, 'descendant of Cearnach,' with cearnach meaning 'victorious.' Like many Irish surnames, it passed into occasional American first-name use.

U.S. rank (1994)#7912 ↗ Rising

1994 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1918

Total births (all-time)≈ 491

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Carney comes from the Irish O Cearnaigh, 'descendant of Cearnach,' with the underlying word meaning 'victorious.' Irish-American families sometimes carried such surnames forward as first names, especially to honor a maternal line.

Carney was never common as a given name, given to only about eighteen boys a year at its peak around 1918, and it has remained rare since, better known today as a surname than a first name.

Did you know? Carney's root, the Gaelic cearnach, means 'victorious' - the same word behind the Irish surname family that gave the world writer Kate Carney and countless Irish-American Carneys.

Overall data confidence 60%

References - Carney — Irish surname from O Cearnaigh, 'victorious'

Variations

KearneyKearnyCarny

Nicknames

Car

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Carney…

Kerry— a like short Irish surname/place name

Casey— a like Irish surname name in first-name use

Delaney— a like Irish surname-name with a victorious/warrior root

Conley— lands in the same popularity range

Covey— another Irish name

Explore names like Carney

By themesurname-name irish victory obscure

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Carney mean?

It is an Irish surname name meaning 'victorious,' from the Gaelic O Cearnaigh.

How do you pronounce Carney?

It is said KAR-nee /ˈkɑr.ni/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Carney a boy or girl name?

Carney is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Carney?

It has always been rare in the United States as a first name, given to only about eighteen boys a year at its peak in the late nineteen-tens.