Toney
Usually a surname that developed from the given name Anthony, though in some cases it may also be locational or from a place-name like Saham Toney.
The #1,919 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,434 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most modern references treat Toney as a reduced form of Anthony, with the initial syllable dropped and the rest reshaped into a surname. The name Anthony itself comes through Latin from the Roman family name Antonius. Some historical material also points to a separate local origin in certain cases, especially where Toney appears in place-names or medieval records as a territorial surname.
History
Baring-Gould explicitly groups Toney among surnames derived from Anthony, alongside forms such as Tonson, Tennison, and Tonks. Other evidence in the excerpts suggests that at least some bearers may have taken the name from place associations, as in medieval references to Ralph de Toney and the Norfolk place-name Saham Toney. Because the sources are mixed, the surname likely has more than one pathway into use.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Saham Toney in Norfolk preserves the name in a place-name, showing how a surname can survive both as a family name and as a local landmark.
From the historical record
“family in south-east England. Robert Whalebelly, Saham Toney, co. Norfolk: MDB. (1875). Whalebone, Walbom. — ? Local. A manifest corruption,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)