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

Daley, 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 Daley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Daley in America

Daley is the 1427th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Daley surname appeared 24,901 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Daley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Daley 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Daley

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

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

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

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