2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Corbally
A surname derived from a placename referring to a location with a ruined church or monastery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Corbally. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corbally surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Corbally with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Corbally in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbally, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corbally
The surname Corbally has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "corr" meaning "odd" or "crooked" and "baile" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have originated from a crooked or oddly-shaped settlement.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Corbally can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the 17th century. The annals mention a family with the name Corbally residing in County Galway in the 13th century.
During the Elizabethan era, the surname Corbally appeared in various legal documents and records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereign, which were letters patent issued by the English monarchy. These records suggest that the Corbally family held lands and positions of authority in Ireland during this time.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Corbally was Seán Corbally, a notable Irish scholar who lived in the late 15th century and was renowned for his knowledge of ancient Irish literature and history. Another prominent figure with this surname was Brendan Corbally, a 17th-century Irish nobleman and landowner in County Mayo.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Corbally family settled in County Leitrim, where they established themselves as prominent landowners and merchants. One notable member of this branch was Patrick Corbally (1725-1802), a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and churches in the region.
During the 19th century, the surname Corbally was also found in various parts of Ireland, including County Sligo, where a family of that name owned a large estate near the town of Ballymote. One of the most prominent figures from this family was Michael Corbally (1823-1895), a respected magistrate and member of the Irish landed gentry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Corbally include John Corbally (1860-1932), an Irish-born author and journalist who wrote extensively about American politics and culture, and Eileen Corbally (1918-2007), an Irish artist and sculptor best known for her intricate woodcarvings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corbally
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbally, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Corbally bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Corbally surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 96
- Two or more races7.4% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corbally
Corbally appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,607 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,607 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Corbally surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corbally bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Corbally surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corbally?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Corbally. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Corbally?
Corbally ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Corbally. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Corbally.
Has Corbally become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corbally went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Corbally?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corbally, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Corbally in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corbally appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (7.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Corbally (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Corbally mean?
A surname derived from a placename referring to a location with a ruined church or monastery. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Corbally (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Corbally?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.