2000
#11,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Okelley
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceallach," a personal name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,749 Americans carry the last name Okelley. That puts it at #12,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okelley 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,683
Census rank
#12,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,397 bearers of the surname Okelley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okelley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okelley
The surname O'Kelley is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Ceallaigh, which originated in County Westmeath, Ireland. The prefix "Ó" signifies a male descendant, while "Ceallaigh" is derived from the word "ceallach," meaning "bright-headed" or "bright-haired."
The O'Kelleys were a prominent family in the ancient territory of Bréifne, which encompassed parts of modern-day counties Leitrim, Cavan, and Fermanagh. They were descendants of Cellach, a 10th-century king of Bréifne. The name is first recorded in the Annals of Ulster in the year 1136, mentioning the death of Gilla-Críst Ua Ceallaigh, a member of the O'Kelley clan.
In the 16th century, the O'Kelleys were among the powerful septs (clans) that resisted the Tudor conquest of Ireland. During this period, many Irish names were anglicized to conform to English spelling conventions, leading to the emergence of various spellings such as O'Kelly, O'Kelley, and Kelley.
One notable figure in the O'Kelley dynasty was Tadhg Ó Ceallaigh (1669-1737), a renowned Irish poet and historian who wrote extensively on the history and genealogy of his clan. His work, known as the "Book of O'Kelly," is an invaluable source of information on the O'Kelleys and their ancestral territory.
Another prominent member of the family was John O'Kelly (1805-1858), an Irish nationalist and member of the Young Ireland movement, who advocated for Irish independence from British rule. He was a skilled orator and writer, and his speeches and writings played a significant role in shaping the nationalist movement of the 19th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the O'Kelley surname dates back to the 18th century, when Patrick O'Kelley (1738-1818) immigrated from Ireland and settled in Virginia. He served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent farmer and landowner.
Another notable American with the O'Kelley surname was Edgar O'Kelley (1857-1944), a lawyer and politician from Missouri. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1921 and was known for his advocacy of progressive policies and labor rights.
The surname O'Kelley has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Kellyville, County Laois, and Kellybrook, County Westmeath, which reflect the historical presence of the O'Kelley clan in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okelley
Among Census respondents with the surname Okelley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Okelley 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 Okelley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 1,984
- Black or African American8.6% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 90
- Two or more races3.7% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okelley
Okelley 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
#12,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 847 places
2020
#12,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
-127 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,473 | 2,518 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,320 | 2,524 | 0.86 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 847 places |
| 2020 | #12,374 | 2,397 | 0.80 | -127 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 54 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 Okelley 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 | #12,320 | #12,374 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,524 | 2,397 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.80 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okelley bearers went from 2,524 to 2,397 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,320 to #12,374.
FAQ
Okelley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okelley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,749 living Americans carry the surname Okelley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,683 residents.
How common is Okelley?
Okelley ranks #12,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,397 people with the surname Okelley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,749), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Okelley.
Has Okelley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okelley went from 2,524 recorded bearers to 2,397. That is a decrease of 127 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,320 to #12,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Okelley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okelley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Okelley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (1,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okelley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (8.6%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Okelley (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 Okelley mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, meaning "descendant of Ceallach," a personal name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike." 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 Okelley (0.80 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 are called Okelley?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Okelley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.