2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fealey
A variant spelling of the Irish surname Feeley, derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "ruler" or "sovereign".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fealey. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fealey 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 Fealey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fealey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fealey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fealey
The surname FEALEY is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Gaelic territory of Uí Failghe, located in present-day County Offaly. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "failghe," meaning "ring" or "hoop," possibly a reference to an occupation or a topographical feature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The name appears as "Ua Failghe" and "O'Failghe," referring to members of the ruling clan in Uí Failghe.
One notable bearer of the name was Muircheartach Ua Failghe, a powerful chieftain who ruled over Uí Failghe in the 11th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster and played a significant role in the political affairs of Ireland at the time.
In the 16th century, the name evolved into its modern spelling of FEALEY, as evidenced in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure bearing the surname was John Fealey (1580-1645), a Catholic priest and author who served as a chaplain in the Spanish Army. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy during the Counter-Reformation period.
A notable literary figure with the surname was Patrick Fealey (1810-1888), an Irish poet and journalist who published a collection of poems titled "The Emerald Isle" in 1856. His works celebrated Irish culture and nationalism.
The FEALEY name also has a connection to the American Civil War. Michael Fealey (1838-1914) was an Irish-American soldier who fought for the Union Army and received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.
In the 20th century, Margaret Fealey (1905-1982) was a renowned American opera singer and educator. She performed with major opera companies and taught at prestigious institutions like the Juilliard School and the Metropolitan Opera.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fealey
Among Census respondents with the surname Fealey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fealey 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 Fealey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fealey
Fealey 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,166 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+13 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 16,166 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 11,396 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 Fealey 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 | #143,511 | 7.4% |
| Count | 105 | 118 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fealey bearers went from 105 to 118 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 11,396 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fealey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fealey?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fealey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fealey?
Fealey ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Fealey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Fealey.
Has Fealey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fealey went from 105 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 13 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fealey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fealey, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Fealey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fealey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (4.2%). 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 Fealey (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 Fealey mean?
A variant spelling of the Irish surname Feeley, derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "ruler" or "sovereign". 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 Fealey (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 many people have the surname Fealey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.