# Sweeney (surname)

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

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 52,410 |
| US rank (2010) | 651 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,891 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.8% (51,500 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈswiːni/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Sweany, Sweeny, Swinney |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Suibhne. Compare McSweeney.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Sweeney 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) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Sweeney in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Sweeney

- Sydney Sweeney, American actress (born 1997)
- D. B. Sweeney, American actor
- Julia Sweeney, American actress, author, comedian
- Alison Sweeney, actress
- Tim Sweeney, American game developer (born 1970)
- Joseph Sweeney, American actor (1884–1963)
- Mary Sweeney, American film editor, film producer, screenwriter and film director
- Bob Sweeney, American television director and actor (1918–1992)
- Madeline Amy Sweeney, American flight attendant (1965–2001)
- Anne Sweeney, American business woman (born 1957)
- Patrick Sweeney, British coxswain
- James Joseph Sweeney, American bishop

and 5 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Swaney, Sweeny, Swiney, Sween, Sen, Snow, Sheehan, Swain, Sun, Swan, Shin, Shen.

## 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.