Surname Tearney - Meaning and Origin
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Tearney: What does the surname Tearney mean?
The last name Tearney is of Irish origin, derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Tíghearnaigh". The prefix "Ó" means "descendant of", and "Tíghearnaigh" is derived from the term "tighearna", which translates to "lord" or "master". So, Tearney essentially signifies "descendant of the lord" or "descendant of the master". This name could have been attributed to descendants of landlords or leaders in the Irish community. As the name passed down through generations, it evolved into various phonetic forms, such as Tierney, Tierny, O'Tierney, and Tearney. The variation in spellings and pronunciations occur due to regional accents, translations, and misspellings over centuries. It is also important to note that meanings and origins of surnames can sometimes be speculative due to the complex evolution of languages and societal structures.
Order DNA origin analysisTearney: Where does the name Tearney come from?
The last name Tearney is most prevalent in the United States and Canada. It likely originated in County Galway, Ireland in the 18th century and is predominately found among individuals with Irish heritage. It is estimated that there are around 200 people in the United States with the last name Tearney. The majority of them live in the Eastern states, with Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey having the most people with this name.
In Canada, the last name Tearney is relatively rare with only about a dozen families with the name spread across the country, the majority being in Ontario. It is likely that family members immigrated to Canada during the Irish Famine of 1845-1852.
Although the surname is spread across the United States and Canada, it is still considered quite rare with few people having the surname in the 2020 census. Other countries that have people with this last name are England, Scotland, and Wales, though these occurrences are much less common.
Overall, the last name Tearney is a rather rare surname in modern times. It is most prevalent in the US and Canada with a few other occurrences in the British Isles. Its Irish origin is why it is mostly found in North American countries today.
Variations of the surname Tearney
The surname Tearney has several variants, spellings, and other surnames of similar origin.
The most common variations and spellings of Tearney include Tirney, Terney, Tiarny, Tierney, Torney, Totney, and Torrney. Other surnames thought to originate from Tearney include O'Tirney, O'Terney, and the Gaelic form MacTearney.
Tearney, and its variations, are thought to originate from the Old Gaelic surname O'Tighearnaigh (modernised to Ó Tíghearnaigh), which translates to "descendant of Tighearnach", which was a very popular Gaelic first name. It may have been derived from the Old Irish term ‘tigern', meaning "lord" or "ruler".
In Ireland and Scotland the Tearney surname is still commonly found, especially in the regions of Galway and Dublin. It has also spread to the United States, most places in the UK and some parts of Canada.
The Tearney surname has modernised to many forms. Other spellings and surnames of similar origin include the phonetic spellings Tarnay and Torney, as well as Tirrney, Tirny, Turney, Tierney, Tyrney, Terrney, Teernay, and Terminy. The Americanisation of the surname is most commonly found as Kearney, Kearny or Keary.
The many spellings and variations of the Tearney surname indicate the rich history of its origin, and the diverse places it has been found and adapted over the years.
Famous people with the name Tearney
- Gina Tearney: Irish comedian, actress and writer who has appeared in numerous popular television shows across Ireland, the UK and the US.
- John Tearney: a New Zealand lawyer and former Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, he served in prominent international roles such as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna.
- Patrick Tearney: an American professor of electrical engineering and biomedical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Benjamin Tearney: an Australian orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in correcting deformities of the upper and lower limbs.
- Jonathan Tearney: a Canadian writer, artist and photographer from London, Ontario, who has exhibited in numerous galleries across the country.
- Jay Tearney: an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice for the character of Jonathan the Skeleton in the animated series, Bones.
- Jack Tearney: a British businessman and venture capitalist. He is the founder and CEO of Liminal Networks, a financial technology company.
- Robert Tearney: an Australian politician and farmer, he has been the state member for the Electoral district of Surrey in Queensland since 2012.
- Donna Tearney: a British artist, her works include paintings, prints and sculpture. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across the UK.
- Mark Tearney: an American actor, he has appeared in various television series and films, most notably the American version of House of Cards.