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

Kilkelly, 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 Kilkelly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilkelly in America

Kilkelly is the 68949th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilkelly surname appeared 285 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 Kilkelly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilkelly 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 Kilkelly

The surname Kilkelly originated from Ireland, with its earliest known examples dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Cillcheallaigh," which means "descendant of Cillcheallaigh." This name is a combination of the words "cill" (church) and "cheallaigh" (bright-headed or fair-haired).

Kilkelly is a toponymic surname, meaning it is derived from a place name. In this case, it likely refers to the town of Kilkelly in County Mayo, Ireland. This town's name is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic "Cill Cheallaigh," which translates to "the church of Cheallaigh."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kilkelly surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Ireland. In this text, a Domhnall Ó Cillcheallaigh is mentioned as a prominent figure in the year 1233.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Kilkelly surname. One such person was John Kilkelly (1772-1834), an Irish poet and writer who was known for his satirical works. Another was Patrick Kilkelly (1802-1869), a Catholic priest and author who published several books on religious topics.

In the 19th century, a prominent member of the Kilkelly family was Thomas Kilkelly (1832-1905), a successful businessman and philanthropist in the United States. He was born in Ireland but later emigrated to New York, where he made his fortune in the shipping industry.

Another notable figure was James Kilkelly (1856-1923), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Massachusetts.

Additionally, the Kilkelly surname has strong ties to the town of Kilkelly in County Mayo. In the 16th century, the area was under the control of the Kilkelly clan, who were prominent landowners and chieftains in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilkelly

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

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

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

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