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

McNally, 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 McNally surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNally in America

McNally is the 2268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNally surname appeared 16,039 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname McNally.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNally 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 McNally

The surname McNally originates from Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "Nallaidh," which is a personal name meaning "bear" or "passionate." The name can be traced back to the 11th century in the province of Ulster, particularly in counties Armagh and Down.

The McNally clan was among the ancient Irish septs that were prominent in the region before the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. The name is believed to have been first recorded in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, around the year 1100.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Domnall McNally, who was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in 1244 as a chieftain in County Armagh. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source of Irish history, in the 14th century.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, many McNallys were dispossessed of their lands and dispersed throughout Ireland and beyond. Some settled in counties like Donegal, Mayo, and Sligo, while others emigrated to countries like Scotland and England.

Notable individuals with the surname McNally include:

1. Patrick McNally (1819-1892), an Irish-American Catholic priest and author who served as the Bishop of Clogher.
2. William Sampson McNally (1818-1889), an American publisher and map maker who founded the Rand McNally publishing company.
3. Vincent McNally (1768-1843), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who advocated for Catholic Emancipation.
4. John McNally (1904-1965), an Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer and politician who served as a Teachta Dála (Member of Parliament) in the Irish Free State and later Ireland.
5. Raymond T. McNally (1931-2022), an American physicist and atmospheric scientist who made significant contributions to the study of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

The McNally surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McNally's Lough in County Down and McNally's Lane in County Armagh, further reflecting the historical presence of the clan in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNally

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

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

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

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