2000
#9,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Oboyle
From the Irish Ó Baoighill, meaning "descendant of Baoigheall," a personal name derived from a diminutive of baoth, meaning "reckless."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,661 Americans carry the last name Oboyle. That puts it at #9,703 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oboyle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Oboyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 93,623
Census rank
#9,703
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,193 bearers of the surname Oboyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9703rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oboyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oboyle
The surname OBOYLE is an anglicized version of the ancient Irish Gaelic name Ó Báoill. It originated in County Mayo, Ireland, and dates back to the 11th century. The prefix Ó denotes a male descendant, while Báoill is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word "badhbh," which means "dangerous" or "hostile."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OBOYLE name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention an OBOYLE chieftain named Donnchadh Ó Báoill, who was slain in battle in 1170.
The OBOYLE surname is also associated with the Barony of Erris, a historical territory located in northwestern County Mayo. This region was once ruled by the OBOYLE clan, who held significant power and influence during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, Tadhg Ó Báoill, an OBOYLE chieftain, is mentioned in the Compositions of Connacht, a record of land ownership and taxation in the province of Connacht. This document provides insight into the clan's landholdings and social status during that period.
Notable individuals bearing the OBOYLE surname include:
1. Seán Ó Báoill (1587-1642), an Irish scholar and historian who wrote extensively on the genealogy and history of Irish clans.
2. Máire Nic Ó Báoill (1773-1845), a renowned Irish poet and songwriter from County Mayo.
3. Michael O'Boyle (1880-1958), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
4. Patrick O'Boyle (1896-1987), an American Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Washington, D.C.
5. Brendan O'Boyle (1924-2001), an American politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives.
Throughout its history, the OBOYLE surname has undergone various spellings, including Ó Báoill, O'Boyle, O'Boile, and O'Boyll, reflecting regional variations and anglicization over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oboyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Oboyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Oboyle bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Oboyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 3,010
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 109
- Two or more races1.5% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oboyle
Oboyle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,281
+18 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 667 places
2020
#9,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,193
-88 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,192 | 3,263 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,859 | 3,281 | 1.11 | +18 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 667 places |
| 2020 | #9,703 | 3,193 | 1.07 | -88 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 156 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Oboyle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,859 | #9,703 | 1.6% |
| Count | 3,281 | 3,193 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.07 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oboyle bearers went from 3,281 to 3,193 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,859 to #9,703.
FAQ
Oboyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oboyle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,661 living Americans carry the surname Oboyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,623 residents.
How common is Oboyle?
Oboyle ranks #9,703 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,193 people with the surname Oboyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,661), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Oboyle.
Has Oboyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oboyle went from 3,281 recorded bearers to 3,193. That is a decrease of 88 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,859 to #9,703.
What does the Census say about the background of Oboyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oboyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oboyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (3,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oboyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Oboyle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Oboyle mean?
From the Irish Ó Baoighill, meaning "descendant of Baoigheall," a personal name derived from a diminutive of baoth, meaning "reckless." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Oboyle (1.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Oboyle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.