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

Naill, 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 Naill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Naill in America

Naill is the 39052nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Naill surname appeared 564 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 Naill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Naill 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 Naill

The surname Naill originates from Ireland and is believed to have emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Niall, which itself comes from the old Irish word "nïall" meaning "champion" or "noble".

The Naill name has strong historical roots in County Donegal, located in the northern part of Ireland. It is thought to have been particularly prevalent in the Rosguill and Fanad peninsulas of Donegal. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Annals of Ulster, which chronicled events in medieval Ireland.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Niall Ó Domhnaill (anglicized as Niall O'Donnell) was the King of Tír Conaill, a medieval kingdom that encompassed much of modern-day County Donegal. He lived from around 1286 to 1345 and was known for his military exploits and defense of his kingdom against the Norman invaders.

Another notable bearer of the Naill surname was Niall Garve O'Donnell, who was the Lord of Tír Conaill in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the political affairs of Ireland during his lifetime, which spanned from approximately 1420 to 1505.

In the 16th century, a man named Niall Óg O'Donnell, who lived from around 1560 to 1626, was an Irish chieftain and military commander. He is remembered for his participation in the Nine Years' War against English forces in Ireland.

Moving into the 17th century, Niall Garve O'Donnell, who lived from 1569 to 1626, was a member of the O'Donnell dynasty and served as the Earl of Tyrconnell. He played a prominent role in the Irish Confederate Wars, which were part of the larger Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

The Naill name can also be traced to various place names in Ireland, such as Ballynaill, a townland in County Donegal, and Kinnaill, a village located in County Armagh. These place names likely derived from the Irish Gaelic words "Baile Ui Niaill" and "Cinn Ui Niaill", respectively, both of which incorporate the name Niall or Naill.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Naill

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!