2000
#62,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 297
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Dannelly
An Anglicized form of an Irish surname derived from the Old Irish personal name Donnghaile.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 438 Americans carry the last name Dannelly. That puts it at #57,536 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 782,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dannelly 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.
Bearers in the US
438
1 in 782,544
Census rank
#57,536
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
382
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 382 bearers of the surname Dannelly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57536th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dannelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dannelly
The surname Dannelly has its origins in the historical region of Normandy in northern France. It derives from the Old French word "daneil" or "danel," which means "a small clearing in a forest." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, referring to those who lived near or worked in such clearings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The book mentions a landholder named "Radulfus Danell" in Sussex.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Danel, Danell, Dannell, and eventually Dannelly. These changes were common as surnames became more standardized and passed down through generations.
In the 13th century, records show a John Danel residing in Lincolnshire, England. Meanwhile, in France, a notable figure was Jean Dannel, a merchant and landowner from Rouen, who lived in the late 14th century.
As the name spread across Europe, it sometimes took on localized forms. For instance, in Germany, the variant "Dännlich" emerged, and in Italy, it became "Dannelli."
One of the earliest known bearers of the Dannelly spelling was William Dannelly, born in County Cork, Ireland, in the late 16th century. He was a landowner and member of the local gentry.
Another notable figure was Sir John Dannelly (1675-1741), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the 19th century, James Dannelly (1818-1892) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Alabama, United States, serving as a judge and state legislator.
Across the Atlantic, Marie-Jeanne Dannelly (1834-1901) was a French author and feminist activist, advocating for women's rights and education.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Michael Dannelly (1908-1982) was an American artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from his native California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dannelly
Among Census respondents with the surname Dannelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dannelly 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 Dannelly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 11
- Black or African American2.4% · 9
- Two or more races1.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dannelly
Dannelly 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
#56,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 364
+67 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 6,766 places
2020
#57,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 382
+18 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,961 | 297 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,195 | 364 | 0.12 | +67 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 6,766 places |
| 2020 | #57,536 | 382 | 0.13 | +18 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 1,341 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 Dannelly 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 | #56,195 | #57,536 | -2.4% |
| Count | 364 | 382 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dannelly bearers went from 364 to 382 (+4.9% change). The surname moved down 1,341 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,195 to #57,536.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dannelly
FAQ
Dannelly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dannelly?
Name Census estimates that about 438 living Americans carry the surname Dannelly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 782,544 residents.
How common is Dannelly?
Dannelly ranks #57,536 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 382 people with the surname Dannelly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Dannelly.
Has Dannelly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dannelly went from 364 recorded bearers to 382. That is an increase of 18 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,195 to #57,536.
What does the Census say about the background of Dannelly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dannelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.4%). 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 Dannelly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (352 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dannelly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Black (2.4%). 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 Dannelly (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 Dannelly mean?
An Anglicized form of an Irish surname derived from the Old Irish personal name Donnghaile. 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 Dannelly (0.13 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 are called Dannelly?
You can see how common the surname Dannelly is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.