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

McNealy, 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 McNealy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McNealy in America

McNealy is the 16150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McNealy surname appeared 1,791 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McNealy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McNealy 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 McNealy

The surname McNealy is of Irish origin, deriving from the Scottish Gaelic 'Mac Naoimhín' meaning 'son of little Naoimhín'. Naoimhín itself is a diminutive form of the name Naomh, meaning 'holy' or 'saint'. The name first appeared in historical records in the late 16th century in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McNealy surname can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which list a 'Johnne McNealie' residing in Killinchy, County Down. The name is also found in the Parish Records of Ballywalter, County Down, where a 'Patrick McNealy' was christened in 1672.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the McNealy name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Antrim and Down, with families settling in areas such as Ballymoney, Ballywalter, and Killyleagh. The surname also appeared in various spellings, including McNealey, McNeallie, and McNelly.

Notable individuals bearing the McNealy surname include John McNealy (1755-1841), an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania. Another notable figure was Patrick McNealy (1819-1901), a successful merchant and landowner in County Antrim.

In the 19th century, members of the McNealy family emigrated from Ireland to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One prominent individual was James McNealy (1837-1914), a successful businessman and politician who served as the 19th Mayor of Toronto, Canada.

Another notable bearer of the McNealy surname was Edward McNealy (1874-1949), an Irish-born architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Greenwich Village Theatre and the Belnord Apartments.

The McNealy surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as McNealy's Bridge in County Down, and McNealy's Townland in County Antrim, which likely derived their names from early McNealy settlers in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McNealy

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

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

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

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