Rigney
An Irish surname, likely from a Gaelic family name that was later Anglicized as Rigney.
The #7,203 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,583 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rigney is generally treated as an Anglicized Irish surname. The historical Irish form is usually connected with a Gaelic name beginning Raighne or a related personal name, though 19th-century sources are not fully consistent in spelling because of OCR noise and older transliteration practices. In modern English use, the surname has been fixed as Rigney, with the literal Gaelic root not always stated with certainty in the older dictionaries.
History
The name is especially associated with Ireland, and the excerpts specifically place it in Galway. Like many Irish surnames, it was stabilized in English spelling during the period when Gaelic names were being recorded and standardized by clerks and English-language compilers. It is found in Irish diaspora communities, especially in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is uncommon in the U.S., but it is clearly established enough to appear in multiple historical surname indexes and immigration-era reference works.
From the historical record
“6 RAi5ne, Rigney. 6 RAitfeeAjicA, Ravery. 6 RAitucA]t€Aij;, O'Rafferty,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames