# Downey (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/downey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 26,627 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,320 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 11,595 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.6% (26,206 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdaʊni/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Various origins: * Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dúnadhaigh (“descendant of Dúnadhach”), a personal name which derives from a diminutive form of dúnadh (“closing, securing, fastening”). * Irish surname from a reduced form of McEldowney or Muldowney. * Scottish habitational surname from the barony of Downie or Duny, named from Scottish Gaelic dùn (“hill”) + the locative suffix -ach.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Downey in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 88% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 6.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Downey in the United States and Canada.

## People named Downey

- Robert Downey Jr., American actor (born 1965)
- Robert Downey Sr., American filmmaker and actor (1936–2021)
- Susan Downey, American film producer
- Sheridan Downey, American politician (1884–1961)
- Ray Downey, boxer
- Jim Downey, American actor and comedian
- Morton Downey, American singer and entertainer (1901–1985)
- June Downey, American psychologist (1875-1932)
- Morton Downey Jr., American television talk show host (1932–2001)
- Margaret Downey, atheist activist

## Similar surnames

Doane, Downie, Doney, Don, Down, Done, Doheny, Dunn, Dean, Donahue, Doan, Denny.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.