Mahoney
An Irish surname usually understood as an Anglicized form of Mac Mathghamhna, meaning “son of the bear.”
The #855 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,643 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mahoney is generally taken from the Irish Gaelic Mac Mathghamhna, a patronymic built on mac “son” and mathghamhain “bear.” In that older form, the name meant “son of the bear,” though in surnames it often functioned as a clan or family name rather than a literal description. Older writers sometimes linked Mahoney with other surnames such as McMahon or treated it as a corruption of related forms, but the bear-based Irish derivation is the standard explanation.
History
The name is especially associated with Ireland, where it belonged to a well-known Gaelic family and survives today in several Anglicized spellings. In English-language records it appears as Mahoney, Mahony, and related forms, with spelling often varying by place and period. The surname became common in the Anglophone world through Irish migration, especially in the 19th century.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old Gaelic root behind Mahoney includes mathghamhain, an ancient word for “bear,” so the surname’s literal sense is more animal than personal.
From the historical record
“Moen ; FI. Moine ; p.n. Hugt. n., Sandwich, 1622 Mooney. Irish, from Mahoney (?) Moor. A freq. loc. n. N. M6r (a Moor) ; Dch. Moor ; FI. Morre ; G. Mohr ; p.n. Or Celtic Morre. Or Atte-moor. Moer, a loc. n., Fland. More, a Hugt. n., Lond.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)