2000
#3,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,535
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.53
Uncommon Last name
Kelleher
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a warrior or rogue.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,939 Americans carry the last name Kelleher. That puts it at #3,630 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelleher 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 Kelleher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,333
Census rank
#3,630
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,539 bearers of the surname Kelleher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3630th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelleher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelleher
The surname Kelleher originated in Ireland and is a variant of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Ceallaigh, which means "descendant of Ceallach." Ceallach was a personal name derived from the word "ceall," meaning "church" or "monastery."
The name is believed to have first emerged in the 10th or 11th century in County Cork, where the Ó Ceallaigh clan was based. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including O'Kelly, Kelly, and Kelleher, as it spread to other parts of Ireland.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the name Kelleher can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals record a notable Kelleher figure named Domhnall Ó Ceallaigh, who was the Bishop of Lesmor (now Lismore) in County Waterford in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the Kelleher family held lands in the Barony of Duhallow, County Cork, and were known for their involvement in local conflicts and battles. One notable member was Maoileachlainn Ó Ceallaigh, who fought against the Anglo-Norman invasion in the late 12th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kellehers were among the prominent families in County Cork and played a role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule. A famous figure from this period was Donough Kelleher, a landowner and leader in the Munster Plantation of the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name Kelleher became more widespread, with families bearing the name found in various parts of Ireland. One notable individual was Edmund Kelleher, a wealthy merchant and landowner in County Limerick, who lived from 1725 to 1801.
As the Kelleher name spread throughout Ireland and beyond, it produced several notable figures, including John Kelleher (1804-1885), an Irish-born politician and judge in New Zealand, and Daniel Kelleher (1857-1926), a prominent Irish Catholic priest and author in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelleher
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelleher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelleher 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 Kelleher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 8,833
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 361
- Two or more races2.2% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 88
- Black or African American0.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelleher
Kelleher 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
#3,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,714
+179 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#3,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,539
-175 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,433 | 9,535 | 3.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,663 | 9,714 | 3.29 | +179 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #3,630 | 9,539 | 3.19 | -175 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 33 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 Kelleher 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 | #3,663 | #3,630 | 0.9% |
| Count | 9,714 | 9,539 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.29 | 3.19 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelleher bearers went from 9,714 to 9,539 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,663 to #3,630.
FAQ
Kelleher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelleher?
Name Census estimates that about 10,939 living Americans carry the surname Kelleher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,333 residents.
How common is Kelleher?
Kelleher ranks #3,630 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,539 people with the surname Kelleher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kelleher.
Has Kelleher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelleher went from 9,714 recorded bearers to 9,539. That is a decrease of 175 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,663 to #3,630.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelleher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelleher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kelleher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (8,833 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelleher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kelleher (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 Kelleher mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a warrior or rogue. 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 Kelleher (3.19 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 share the surname Kelleher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.