Cagney

C3A1G2N1E1Y4

proper noun

A surname from Irish.

OriginIrish Ó Caingnigh →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

proper nounCagney (plural Cagneys)

plural Cagneys · alternative Kagney

  1. A surname from Irish.
  2. A female given name transferred from the surname.

    It’s a project of Johanna von Geldern, who previously operated Sweet Beet Bistro on Main Street in Greenwich, and her daughters Cagney and Kate Houlihan of Saratoga.

    2022 February 17, Cathy DeDe, “‘Mint’ nears debut in the former Mailings Made Easy bldg.”, in Glens Falls Chronicle

Origin

  1. IrishÓ Caingnigh“descendant of Caingneach”
  2. EnglishCagney

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caingnigh (“descendant of Caingneach”), a byname from caingneach (“troublesome”).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

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Cite this entry
APA

Cagney. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cagney

MLA

“Cagney.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cagney. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cagney,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cagney.

Source: Cagney on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.