2000
#7,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Feeley
Derived from an Irish surname meaning "plunderer" or "helmet wearer," likely referring to a warrior or soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,548 Americans carry the last name Feeley. That puts it at #8,012 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feeley 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 Feeley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,364
Census rank
#8,012
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,966 bearers of the surname Feeley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8012th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feeley
The surname Feeley is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Failbhe, which means "descendant of the generous one." The name can be traced back to the ancient Irish territory of Meath, where it was first recorded in the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Dermot O'Feeley, a chieftain who lived in the 13th century and was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the 16th century.
Over time, the name evolved from its original Gaelic form to various English spellings, including Feely, Feelay, and Feeley. This was a common occurrence as Irish names were anglicized during the English conquest of Ireland.
The name Feeley is associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including:
1. Michael Feeley (1857-1932), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the 52nd Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut.
2. John Feeley (1880-1947), an Irish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Lubbock, Texas.
3. Charles Feeley (1921-2011), an American journalist and war correspondent who covered World War II and the Vietnam War for various news organizations.
4. Patrick Feeley (born 1964), an Irish businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the software company Cartesian.
5. Terrence Feeley (born 1947), an American artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public artworks and installations.
The name Feeley has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Feeleyfad and Feeleybeg, which are townlands in County Leitrim and County Fermanagh, respectively. These place names likely derived from the surname, reflecting the historical presence of the Feeley family in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feeley
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Feeley 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 Feeley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,650
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 148
- Two or more races2.7% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feeley
Feeley 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
#8,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,101
-16 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 632 places
2020
#8,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,966
-135 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,452 | 4,117 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,084 | 4,101 | 1.39 | -16 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 632 places |
| 2020 | #8,012 | 3,966 | 1.33 | -135 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 72 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 Feeley 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 | #8,084 | #8,012 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,101 | 3,966 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.33 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feeley bearers went from 4,101 to 3,966 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,084 to #8,012.
FAQ
Feeley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feeley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,548 living Americans carry the surname Feeley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,364 residents.
How common is Feeley?
Feeley ranks #8,012 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,966 people with the surname Feeley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Feeley.
Has Feeley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feeley went from 4,101 recorded bearers to 3,966. That is a decrease of 135 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,084 to #8,012.
What does the Census say about the background of Feeley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Feeley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feeley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Feeley (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 Feeley mean?
Derived from an Irish surname meaning "plunderer" or "helmet wearer," likely referring to a warrior or soldier. 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 Feeley (1.33 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 Feeley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.