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

Fealy, 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 Fealy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fealy in America

Fealy is the 63873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fealy surname appeared 312 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fealy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fealy 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 Fealy

The surname Fealy is of Irish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Faolain, which means "descendant of Faelan." Faelan was a personal name derived from the Irish word "faol," meaning "wolf."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In these annals, the name O'Faolain is mentioned in connection with events in the 12th and 13th centuries in the counties of Kildare and Offaly.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the name was Dermot O'Faolain, a 14th-century Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Faolain clan. He is mentioned in several historical records from the time, including the Annals of Loch Cé.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Fealan, Fealon, and Feely, reflecting the variations in spelling common at the time. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Laois and Offaly.

Sir John Fealy, born in 1570, was a prominent figure in Irish history. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was involved in the political affairs of the time.

Another notable individual was Reverend Michael Fealy, a 17th-century Catholic priest who played a significant role in preserving Irish literature and culture during the tumultuous period of the Irish Confederate Wars.

In the 18th century, the name Fealy began to spread beyond Ireland as Irish immigrants settled in other parts of the world. One such individual was Patrick Fealy, born in 1725, who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Virginia.

As the centuries progressed, the name Fealy continued to be associated with various historical figures and events, reflecting the rich heritage and contributions of this Irish surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fealy

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!