2000
#10,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Finnell
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnghail," meaning "descendant of Fionnghal" (fair-valor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,168 Americans carry the last name Finnell. That puts it at #10,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finnell 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.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,193
Census rank
#10,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,763 bearers of the surname Finnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finnell
The surname Finnell is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "fionn," meaning fair or white-haired. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th century in the Ulster region of Northern Ireland.
The name may have initially been used as a descriptive term to refer to an individual with fair hair or complexion. Over time, it became adopted as a hereditary surname, particularly in counties like Donegal, Antrim, and Down.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a "Finnell" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1258.
The Finnell surname is also closely associated with the Gaelic clan system, having links to the ancient clans of Ulster, such as the O'Neills and the McQuillans. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Niall Finnell was a prominent member of the McQuillan clan and played a role in the clan's battles against the English forces.
As the Irish diaspora spread across the globe, the Finnell surname traveled with them. In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Finnells migrated to the American colonies, settling in areas like Pennsylvania and Virginia. One such individual was John Finnell, born in 1672 in County Antrim, who later became a prominent landowner in Virginia.
In the 19th century, James Finnell (1808-1889), a lawyer and politician from Kentucky, gained recognition for his involvement in the Mexican-American War and his tenure as a United States Congressman.
Other notable individuals with the surname include William Finnell (1826-1898), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and John Finnell (1899-1968), an American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
The Finnell name has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Finnell's Bridge in County Antrim and Finnell's Cross in County Donegal, further cementing its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Finnell 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 Finnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 2,089
- Black or African American14.3% · 394
- Two or more races5.5% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finnell
Finnell 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
#10,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,178
+205 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#10,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,763
-415 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 843 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,003 | 2,973 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,150 | 3,178 | 1.08 | +205 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #10,993 | 2,763 | 0.92 | -415 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 843 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 Finnell 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 | #10,150 | #10,993 | -8.3% |
| Count | 3,178 | 2,763 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.92 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finnell bearers went from 3,178 to 2,763 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 843 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,150 to #10,993.
FAQ
Finnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finnell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,168 living Americans carry the surname Finnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,193 residents.
How common is Finnell?
Finnell ranks #10,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,763 people with the surname Finnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Finnell.
Has Finnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finnell went from 3,178 recorded bearers to 2,763. That is a decrease of 415 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,150 to #10,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Finnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Finnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (2,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Finnell (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 Finnell mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fionnghail," meaning "descendant of Fionnghal" (fair-valor). 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 Finnell (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Finnell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.