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

Carmody, 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 Carmody surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carmody in America

Carmody is the 6041st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carmody surname appeared 5,688 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Carmody.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carmody 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 Carmody

The surname Carmody is an Irish name that originated in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name "O'Cearmhoid," which means "descendant of Cearmhod." The name Cearmhod is believed to be derived from the Irish word "cearr," meaning "small, left-handed, or wrong," and the diminutive suffix "-oid."

The earliest recorded instance of the Carmody surname dates back to the 16th century. In 1590, a Thomas Carmody was listed in the Fiants of the County Tipperary. The Fiants were records of legal pardons and land grants issued by the English government in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Carmody name appeared in several historical records throughout the centuries. In the 1659 Census of Ireland, which was a survey of landholders conducted by the English government, several Carmody families were listed as landowners in County Tipperary. The surname was also recorded in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which were tax records compiled by the English government in Ireland.

One notable bearer of the Carmody surname was John Carmody (1824-1890), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Armidale, Australia, from 1887 until his death. Another was Thomas Carmody (1859-1940), a Canadian journalist and author who was born in County Tipperary and emigrated to Canada in the late 19th century.

In the United States, John Carmody (1856-1924) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Chicago, Illinois. He co-founded the Carmody Oil Company and was a major benefactor of the Catholic Church and several educational institutions.

James Carmody (1868-1940) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919. He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and emigrated to Australia in the late 19th century.

Finally, Brendan Carmody (1913-1987) was an Irish poet and literary critic who is best known for his work on the life and writings of James Joyce. He was born in County Tipperary and spent most of his career as a professor at University College Dublin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carmody

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

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 Carmody 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 Carmody 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 Carmody was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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