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

Driscoll, 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 Driscoll surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Driscoll in America

Driscoll is the 1538th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Driscoll surname appeared 23,385 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 Driscoll.

We can also compare 2010 data for Driscoll 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 Driscoll

The surname Driscoll has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Driscoll, derived from the Old Irish words 'dreis' meaning "bramble" and 'coll' meaning "young man" or "bright-headed". The progenitors of the Driscoll clan were likely known for their red or bright hair.

The Driscolls were part of the Ui Eidirsceoil, a powerful family from County Cork in the province of Munster. They held significant lands and influence in West Cork, particularly around the modern-day towns of Baltimore and Skibbereen. The name appears in several ancient Irish annals and manuscripts, such as the Annals of Inisfallen and the Book of Munster.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Conor O'Driscoll, who was the chief of the clan in the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen as having been involved in a conflict with the Anglo-Norman invaders in 1177.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Driscolls played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. Sir Fineen O'Driscoll, who lived from 1580 to 1629, was a prominent figure in these conflicts and is recorded as having led his clan in battles against the English forces.

Another notable Driscoll was Florence Driscoll, a 17th-century Irish soldier and adventurer who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders and later became a pirate in the Caribbean. He was born around 1630 and is believed to have died sometime in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, John Driscoll, born in 1815, was a notable Irish journalist and political activist who campaigned for tenant rights and land reform in Ireland. He was also a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a revolutionary organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish republic.

As the Driscoll family spread throughout the world, the name took on various spellings, including Driskel, Driskill, and Driskell. The name has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Driscoll's Demesne and Driscoll's Rock in County Cork.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Driscoll

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

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

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

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