MALONEY
Maloney is an Irish surname of Gaelic origin, derived from the patronymic form Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh, which translates literally as “descendant of the servant of the Church”. The element Maol denotes a devotee, often a tonsured monk or cleric, while Domhnaigh is the genitive of domhnach, meaning either “Sunday” or “the Lord's Day”. Consequently the name signifies a family line that was closely associated with ecclesiastical service.
The earliest recorded variation of the surname is O'Maoldhamhnaigh, an Ancient Dalcassian sept belonging to the region known as Kiltanon near Tulla in East Clare. This sept held jurisdiction over the area of Cuiltenan in the Barony of Tulla and was part of the wider line of Cormac Cas, a historical monarch of Ireland. In more recent centuries the prefix Ó fell out of common use and the name is now almost exclusively seen as Maloney or, less frequently, Moloney.
The surname is predominantly located in County Clare and in the adjoining Munster counties of Tipperary and Limerick. Historical records indicate that fifty-five individuals bearing the name Maloney were listed among Irish Famine immigrants who arrived at the Port of New York between 1846 and 1851. A birth registration for a Bridget Maloney was recorded on 21 May 1856 in Nenagh, County Tipperary.
The first known documentary appearance of the name is in the Ecclesiastical Records of Killaloe, dated 1601, where a clergyman named Father Dongoh O'Moloney is mentioned during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was known to contemporaries as the “Good Queen Bess”.
The family of Maloney possesses a heraldic coat of arms consisting of an azure shield. On the dexter (right) side is a quiver erected with three arrows, and on the sinister (left) a bow erected; both are depicted in gold. The crest features a right arm bent and armsmithed, with the hand enclosed in a gauntlet holding a dagger of proper colouring.
Typical given names associated with the Maloney surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Angela
- Ann
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Mahlone
- Malaney
- Malany
- Maleney
- Maleny
- Malhoney
- Maline
- Maliney
- Mallaney
- Mallany
- Malleny
- Mallone
- Malloney
- Malloni
- Mallony
- Mallowney
- Malney
- Maloan
- Malome
- Malone
- Malonhy
- Maloni
- Malonie
- Malonoy
- Malony
- Malowany
- Malowney
- Malowny
- Malroney
- Mayloan
- Maylone
- Melaney
- Melany
- Meleney
- Mellaney
- Mellany
- Melleney
- Mellone
- Melloni
- Mellonie
- Melohn
- Melone
- Meloney
- Meloni
- Melonie
- Melony
- Milaney
- Milany
- Millaney
- Millany
- Milnay
- Miloney
- Molaney
- Molany
- Mollaney
- Mollany
- Molloney
- Mollony
- Molney
- Moloney
- Molony
- Moloughney
- Moroney
- Mulaney
- Mulanny
- Mulany
- Mullaney
- Mullanny
- Mullany
- Mulleeney
- Mulleny
- Mullinay
- Mulliny
- Mullney
- Mulloney
- Mullonny
- Mullony
- Mullowney
- Mullowny
- Mulney
- Mulnoy
- Muloney
- Mulony
- Muluaney
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Maloney in...
Braille
⠍⠁⠇⠕⠝⠑⠽
Morse
--.-.-..----..-.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 6,770 people named Maloney in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,388th most common surname in Britain. Around 104 in a million people in Britain are named Maloney.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Maloney
- Chris Maloney - Singer and musician
- Shaun Maloney - Scottish football player
- Michael Maloney - Actor
- David Maloney - Television director (1933 to 2006)
- Joe Maloney - Football player (1934 to 2006)
- Taylor Maloney - Football player
- Jack Maloney - Football player
- Jon Maloney - Football player
- Francis Maloney - Rugby league player
- Leon Maloney - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.