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Tunney Family History

Tunney Name Meaning

Irish (Mayo Sligo and Donegal): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Tonnaigh ‘descendant of Tonnach’ a personal name meaning either ‘billowy’ (from tonn ‘wave’) or ‘shining’. English (Lancashire and Northumberland): from the Middle English personal name Tunne (Old Norse Tunni Tunne a nickname from tunna ‘barrel’).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Tinney, Lunney, Torney, Turney, Guiney, Toney, Munley, Tenney, Tanney

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Where is the Tunney family from?

You can see how Tunney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tunney family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tunney families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 33 Tunney families living in Ontario. This was about 80% of all the recorded Tunney's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Tunney families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tunney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Tunney ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Tunney. 37% of Tunney men worked as a Farmer and 60% of Tunney women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tunney were Machinist and School Teacher. .

View Census Data for Tunney | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    37%
  • Farmers Son
    16%
  • Labourer
    16%
  • Machinist
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    60%
  • School Teacher
    40%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Tunney family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Tunney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tunney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Tunney

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Tunney. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Tunney immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Tunney. For the veterans among your Tunney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Tunney military records

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What is the average Tunney lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Tunney life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Tunney in 1951 was 50, and 82 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Tunney

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