Find out how popular the last name Ally is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ally.

Ally, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ally surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ally in America

Ally is the 17142nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ally surname appeared 1,653 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ally.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ally to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ally

The surname ALLY has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'ailleadh', meaning 'rocky place' or 'cliff', suggesting that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near such geographical features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ALLY can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century, where a person named 'John de Aly' was mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the 15th century, the name ALLY appeared in several historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such person was 'Johannes Alye', hinting at the name's continued use and adaptation.

The ALLY surname has been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as Allynbank in Aberdeenshire and Allyth in Perthshire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development and spread across the region.

Notable individuals with the surname ALLY include Sir William Allye (1512-1570), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Another prominent figure was John Ally (1826-1894), a Scottish-born businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ALLY surname was found in various parts of Scotland, as evidenced by records from Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, and Ayrshire. This suggests that the name had become well-established across the country by that time.

In the 18th century, the ALLY surname gained recognition with the birth of John Alley (1737-1806), a Scottish-American merchant and politician who served as the fourth Governor of Connecticut. His surname's spelling variation highlights the ongoing evolution of the name.

Throughout the centuries, the ALLY surname has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, politicians, and military personnel. One notable example is Colonel William Ally (1827-1893), a Scottish-born officer in the British Army who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ally

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ally.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ally was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ally has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ally was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ally, please contact us.

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