2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Donely
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Duinnshléibhe meaning "descendant of the brown mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Donely. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donely 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 Donely with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Donely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donely
The surname Donely originated in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "donn," meaning brown or dark-colored, and "óglach," meaning a young man or servant. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive term used to identify a person with dark features or one who worked as a servant.
The name appears in several historical documents from the Middle Ages, including the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters. These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Donnely, Donnelly, and Donnelie.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Murchadh Donnely, a nobleman from County Tyrone who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Felim Donnelly, a 16th-century chieftain from County Fermanagh who played a role in the Irish Confederate Wars.
In the 17th century, the name was associated with several prominent families in Ulster, including the Donnellys of Castlecaulfield and the Donnellys of Corgary. During this period, the spelling of the name became more standardized as Donely or Donnelly.
The name Donely also has ties to various place names in Ireland, such as Donellystown in County Down and Donellykeel in County Tyrone. These locations likely derived their names from prominent Donely families who resided in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Donely include:
1. Ignatius Donely (1570-1637), an Irish Roman Catholic priest and philosopher.
2. James Donely (1742-1804), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Mary Donely (1810-1888), an Irish immigrant to the United States and early settler in Kansas.
4. John Donely (1865-1937), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
5. Michael Donely (1928-2015), an Irish-born Australian artist and sculptor known for his abstract works.
While the surname Donely has its roots in Ireland, it has spread to various parts of the world through immigration and has become a part of the cultural fabric in many countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donely
Among Census respondents with the surname Donely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Donely 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 Donely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.9% · 54
- White37.7% · 40
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donely
Donely appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,568 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 2,568 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 Donely 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 | #154,907 | #152,339 | 1.7% |
| Count | 105 | 106 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donely bearers went from 105 to 106 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,568 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,339.
FAQ
Donely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donely?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Donely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Donely?
Donely ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Donely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Donely.
Has Donely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donely went from 105 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Donely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Donely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.9%), White (37.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Donely (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 Donely mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Duinnshléibhe meaning "descendant of the brown mountain." 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 Donely (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 common is the surname Donely?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Donely on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.