2000
#1,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.57
Uncommon Last name
Daley
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendant of Dálach," a personal name meaning "assembly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,103 Americans carry the last name Daley. That puts it at #1,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daley 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 Daley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,196
Census rank
#1,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,507 bearers of the surname Daley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daley
The surname Daley is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Dálaigh, which means "descendant of Dálach." The name originated in County Mayo, Ireland, in the 12th century. Dálach was a personal name derived from the Irish word "dál," meaning "assembly" or "meeting."
The Daley surname first appeared in ancient manuscripts and records from the 13th century, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in 1263 when Tadhg O'Daly (anglicized as Teague O'Daly) was mentioned as a prominent chieftain in County Mayo.
During the Middle Ages, the Daleys were part of the Gaelic nobility in Ireland and held significant influence in the west of the country. The name was particularly prominent in the baronies of Clanmorris and Gallen in County Mayo.
In the 16th century, the Daley surname appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the English monarchy. This record mentions several members of the Daley family, including John Daley, who was granted land in County Mayo in 1584.
One of the most notable figures in Daley history was James Daley (1639-1695), an Irish Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Meath from 1685 to 1695. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith in Ireland during the Penal Laws.
Another prominent individual with the Daley surname was Sir Dominick Daley (1768-1843), an Irish politician and lawyer who served as the Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer from 1834 to 1843.
In the 19th century, the Daley family spread throughout Ireland and beyond, with many members emigrating to countries like the United States and Canada. One notable Daley was Michael Daley (1827-1903), an Irish-American political leader who served as the Mayor of Long Branch, New Jersey, from 1872 to 1873.
During the 20th century, the Daley name gained prominence in American politics with Richard J. Daley (1902-1976), who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976, and his son, Richard M. Daley (1942-), who also served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1989 to 2011.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daley
Among Census respondents with the surname Daley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Daley 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 Daley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.6% · 17,540
- Black or African American19.9% · 4,865
- Two or more races3.8% · 929
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 902
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daley
Daley 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
#1,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,901
+1,769 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#1,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,507
-394 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 8.20
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,408 | 23,132 | 8.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,427 | 24,901 | 8.44 | +1,769 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #1,414 | 24,507 | 8.20 | -394 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 13 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 Daley 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 | #1,427 | #1,414 | 0.9% |
| Count | 24,901 | 24,507 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 8.44 | 8.20 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daley bearers went from 24,901 to 24,507 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,427 to #1,414.
FAQ
Daley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daley?
Name Census estimates that about 28,103 living Americans carry the surname Daley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,196 residents.
How common is Daley?
Daley ranks #1,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,507 people with the surname Daley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Daley.
Has Daley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daley went from 24,901 recorded bearers to 24,507. That is a decrease of 394 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,427 to #1,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Daley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Daley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (17,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.6%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Daley (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 Daley mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendant of Dálach," a personal name meaning "assembly." 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 Daley (8.20 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 last name Daley?
If you just want to know how many people are called Daley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.