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

Gillooly, 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 Gillooly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillooly in America

Gillooly is the 33856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillooly surname appeared 672 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 Gillooly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillooly 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 Gillooly

The surname Gillooly is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in County Cork, Ireland, where the name was anglicized from the Gaelic "O'Giollalaimhe" or "O'Giollalua," meaning "descendant of the servant of the hand" or "descendant of the servant of the calf."

In its earliest recorded forms, the name was spelled as Gillooly, Gillouley, Gillawley, and Gillooley. These variations reflect the different dialects and regional pronunciations found throughout Ireland during that time period. The name is thought to have been derived from the occupation of a servant or attendant, possibly in reference to a person who served in a noble household or monastery.

One of the earliest known references to the Gillooly name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the late 16th century. This record mentions a Thomas Gillooly, who was granted lands in County Tipperary in 1587.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gillooly name appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly in counties Cork, Kerry, and Tipperary. Notable individuals with this surname include John Gillooly (1737-1795), a Catholic priest and writer from County Cork, and Michael Gillooly (1798-1858), an Irish author and journalist who was involved in the Young Ireland movement.

In the 19th century, members of the Gillooly family emigrated to different parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One prominent figure was John Gillooly (1819-1895), an Irish-American Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio.

Another noteworthy individual was Michael Gillooly (1865-1933), an Irish-American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1917.

In the realm of sports, the name Gillooly gained notoriety in the 1990s due to Jeff Gillooly (born 1968), who was involved in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. However, this incident falls outside the scope of this historical account.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillooly

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

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

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

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