An Irish surname, Sweeney comes from the Gaelic term ‘suibhne’ which means pleasant. The spelling variations for Sweeney included MacSwyny, Swinney, McSweeney, MacWhinney, MacSwine, MacSweeney and Swiney. In Ireland the County of Donegal was the beginnings of the Sweeney families. From Ireland in the 19th century many Sweeney families moved to the United States, Australia and Canada. In England the northern region in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham and then into the city of London have the higher populations of Sweeney individuals. In Scotland there are Sweeney families across the country. Most reside in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire counties. Within the United States Sweeney families originated in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California and Illinois. Famous: Anthony Sweeney (professional footballer in England), Alison Sweeney (actress), Charles Sweeney (pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945) and Bob Sweeney (professional ice hockey player).