Explore the Family Name Arney

The meaning of Arney

1. English: perhaps from the Middle English personal name Ernwi (Old English Earnwīg, composed of the elements earn ‘eagle’ + wīg ‘battle’). If so, the surname shows the unexceptional loss of -w- in the unstressed syllable following -n-. 2. In some cases an Americanized form of German or Swedish Arne. 3. In some cases also an Americanized form of Norwegian Arnøy: habitational name from any of a number of farmsteads named for the islands on which they stand; the original derivation of such names being either from the Old Norse personal name Arni, or from ǫrn ‘eagle’ + øy ‘island’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Arney in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Arney' has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 9133rd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had fallen to the rank of 9548. This represents a decrease in popularity by 4.54 percent. Despite this, the actual count of people with the Arney surname increased from 3284 in 2000 to 3405 in 2010, indicating a growth of 3.68 percent. However, when considering the proportion per 100k people, there is a decrease of 5.74 percent over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#9,133#9,548-4.54%
Count3,2843,4053.68%
Proportion per 100k1.221.15-5.74%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Arney

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the Arney surname, also based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there have been some changes noted between 2000 and 2010. The number of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw an increase of 65.22 percent, while those recognizing themselves as American Indian and Alaskan Native experienced a significant rise of 125.58 percent. Conversely, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased slightly from 94.21 percent to 93.22 percent. Those claiming Hispanic ethnicity dropped by 4.79 percent, whereas the percentage of Black individuals rose by 15.20 percent. The group identifying with two or more races remained relatively stable, seeing a negligible decline of 1.32 percent.

20002010Change
White94.21%93.22%-1.05%
Black1.71%1.97%15.2%
Hispanic1.67%1.59%-4.79%
Two or More Races1.52%1.5%-1.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.43%0.97%125.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.76%65.22%