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

O'Connell, 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 O'Connell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Connell in America

O'Connell is the 961st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Connell surname appeared 36,194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname O'Connell.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Connell 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 O'Connell

The surname OCONNELL is an anglicized form of the ancient Irish Gaelic name Ó Conaill, which originated in County Kerry, Ireland. It means "descendant of Conall" and can be traced back to the 10th century. The prefix "O" is derived from the Irish word "ua" meaning grandson or descendant.

The name is believed to have originated in the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, where the Ó Conaill clan were an influential family during medieval times. They were Lords of Iveragh and held large territories around the Dingle area. The Ó Conaill sept (clan) was one of the most powerful in Munster.

The name first appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1014 when Donnchadh Ó Conaill, Lord of Iveragh, is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Book of Leinster, a 12th-century manuscript, where Diarmait Ó Conaill is recorded as a witness to a charter.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the anglicized spelling OCONNELL is found in the Pipe Rolls of 1211, which were financial records of the English Crown. An entry lists "Mauricius Oconell" as owing money for lands in County Kerry.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the OCONNELL surname, including Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847), an Irish political leader and emancipator who campaigned for Catholic rights and Irish self-governance. Sir Maurice O'Connell (1612-1669) was an Irish royalist who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.

Other prominent figures include William Henry O'Connell (1859-1944), a Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Boston; John O'Connell (1810-1858), an Irish novelist and short story writer; and Maureen O'Connell (born 1946), an American figure skater who won gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Connell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Connell.

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 O'Connell 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 O'Connell 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 O'Connell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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