Explore the Family Name Fennessy

The meaning of Fennessy

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fionnghusa ‘descendant of Fionnghus’, a personal name composed of the elements fionn ‘fair, white’ + gus ‘vigor, force’. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Conor, Eamon, Niall, Siobhan.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Fennessy has grown in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of this surname jumped from 29,261 in 2000 to 26,229 in 2010, marking a significant increase of 10.36%. Similarly, the count of people with this surname increased from 762 in 2000 to 932 in 2010, a rise of 22.31%. The proportion of people named Fennessy per 100,000 also saw an increase from 0.28 to 0.32, demonstrating a 14.29% change.

20002010Change
Rank#29,261#26,22910.36%
Count76293222.31%
Proportion per 100k0.280.3214.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fennessy

As for the ethnicity associated with the surname Fennessy, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates a few shifts between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as White holding this surname slightly grew from 92.39% to 93.88%, a minor change of 1.61%. On the other hand, those identifying as two or more ethnicities decreased significantly from 3.15% to 1.18%, down by 62.54%. The percentage of Hispanic individuals with the surname Fennessy also increased from 3.41% to 3.97%, reflecting a change of 16.42%. Notably, there was no recorded change in percentages for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White92.39%93.88%1.61%
Hispanic3.41%3.97%16.42%
Two or More Races3.15%1.18%-62.54%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.54%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%