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

McNealey, 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 McNealey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNealey in America

McNealey is the 67126th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNealey surname appeared 294 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 McNealey.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNealey 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 McNealey

The surname MCNEALEY has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Naoimheallaigh," which means "son of the church devotee" or "son of the religious one."

The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, where it was first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The earliest known bearer of the name was Domhnall Mac Naoimheallaigh, who lived in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Petty Census of Ireland, which was a survey conducted by Sir William Petty in 1659. This record provides an insight into the distribution of the MCNEALEY surname across Ireland during that time period.

One notable MCNEALEY in history was Pádraig Mac Naoimheallaigh, who was born in County Mayo in 1674 and served as a Catholic priest during the Penal Laws, a period of severe discrimination against Catholics in Ireland. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith and traditions in his community.

Another prominent figure was Séamus MCNEALEY, born in 1815 in County Mayo. He was a renowned scholar and writer who contributed to the preservation of Irish language and culture through his works.

In the late 19th century, Michael MCNEALEY (1847-1923) emigrated from Ireland to the United States, settling in New York City. He became a prominent businessman and was involved in various philanthropic endeavors, supporting Irish-American communities.

The MCNEALEY surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballynealey and Kilnealey, which likely derive from the Irish Gaelic "Baile Mhic Naoimheallaigh" and "Cill Mhic Naoimheallaigh," meaning "the town of the MCNEALEY family" and "the church of the MCNEALEY family," respectively.

Other notable individuals with the surname MCNEALEY include John MCNEALEY (1842-1912), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons, and Bridget MCNEALEY (1880-1964), an Irish-American labor activist and community leader in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNealey

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

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

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

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