Oney
A surname with several possible roots, most likely a variant of Owen/Owney or a shortened form of a Gaelic given-name surname.
The #9,232 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,513 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Oney is not firmly settled in the historical sources. One plausible line connects it with Irish and Manx forms of the personal name Owen, with related spellings such as Owney and Ounie/Oney appearing in older records. In Manx usage, a place-name example suggests that Oney can also reflect local pronunciation or corruption of an earlier name form, so the surname may sometimes be a spelling variant rather than an independent family name.
History
The name appears rarely and seems to be concentrated in English-speaking areas, especially where Irish or Manx naming forms could have been simplified in records. Because the surviving evidence is thin and mostly incidental, it is best treated as a variant surname rather than a well-attested standalone medieval name. Modern U.S. bearers may descend from several different spellings that later converged on Oney.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A Manx place-name cited in older sources, Chibber Oney, was explained as a corruption of Chibber Roney, showing how local pronunciation could reshape names over time.
From the historical record
“tlAicei|i, Walter. VlAitne, Hewney, Oney, Owney, Oynie ; Anthony, Antony, UaIcaii, Walter. vlgAine, Hugony. Uileog, Ulick ; Ulysses.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames