Rooney

ROO-nee

English or Gaelic surname

"descendent of the champion"

Rooney Origin and Meaning

The name Rooney is a girl's name meaning "descendent of the champion".

Talented actress Rooney Mara (originally born Patricia Rooney) has single-handedly transformed this Gaelic surname into a wearable and elegant girls' name. Often said to mean "red-haired", the original surname, rendered as O' Ruanaidh, actually means "descendent of the champion". Trivia note: the most famous Rooney, Mickey Rooney, was originally born Joseph Yule.

Popularity of the name Rooney

• 1520 Nameberry 2025
• 405 Unisex 2023

20 Names Similar to Rooney

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Rooney.

• Winslow
• Murphy
• Banks
• Calloway
• Lenny
• Marlo
• Wesley
• Beckett
• Vaughn
• Hollis
• Bennett
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• Elliette
• Clarke
• Merritt
• Mercer
• Campbell
• Sutter
• Sully
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Famous People Named Rooney

• (Patricia) Rooney Mara American actress
• Kate Rooney Mara American actress
• Andy Rooney American journalist

The name Rooney in Pop Culture

• Olivia "Liv" and Madison "Maddie" Rooney main characters on TV's "Liv and Maddie"
• Rooney Fforester character in the Youtube series "Chicken Girls"