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Home › Baby Names Directory › Rooney

Rooney

♀ Girl

Pronounced ROON-ehy /ˈrun.ɛj/Medium

Meaning: Descendant of Ruanaidh (champion, hero)Low

In 30 seconds: Rooney is an Irish name meaning 'descendant of Ruanaidh', a byname for a champion or hero.
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Origin MediumIrish
MeaningDescendant of Ruanaidh (champion, hero)
U.S. rank (2025)#2235 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births83 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2024
Total births (all-time)≈ 857

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202420112025

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

Rooney comes from an Irish surname meaning 'descendant of Ruanaidh', a name tied to the idea of a champion or hero. Once chiefly a family name, it has moved into use as a girl's first name. Actress Rooney Mara is the bearer who did much to make that shift feel natural.

The doubled o gives the name a warm, rounded sound that softens its surname roots. Its meaning of 'champion' adds a quiet strength under that friendly surface.

Did you know? Rooney reached first-name use through a surname route, from the Irish O Ruanaidh whose root means 'champion, hero', which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 62%
Behind the Name - Rooney — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Rooney Mara (1985–present)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Rooney…

Mara— Shares a connection to bearer Rooney Mara and a similar surname-to-first-name path.
Quinn— Another Irish surname turned unisex first name with Rooney's modern feel.
Casey— a fellow Irish choice
Kacey— echoes that soft -ey sound
Kasey— echoes that soft -ey sound

Explore names like Rooney

By themeenglishunisexsurname-style

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Rooney mean?

Rooney is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname O Ruanaidh, 'descendant of Ruanaidh', a Gaelic personal name meaning 'champion, hero'. It is most often linked with Irish tradition.

How do you pronounce Rooney?

It's commonly said ROON-ehy /ˈrun.ɛj/.

Is Rooney a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Rooney is used as a girl name.

How popular is Rooney?

In 2024, Rooney ranked #1970 in the U.S. for girls, with 100 births recorded.

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