Find out how popular the last name O'Malley 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'Malley.

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

Popularity of O'Malley in America

O'Malley is the 2046th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Malley surname appeared 17,588 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname O'Malley.

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

The surname O'Malley is of Irish origin and has its roots in the Gaelic language. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Máille," which means "descendant of Máille." Máille was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "máll," meaning "leader" or "prince."

The O'Malley family hailed from County Mayo in the western province of Connacht, Ireland. They were a prominent clan and held significant power in the region during the Middle Ages. The name is associated with the Barony of Murrisk, located in the coastal area of County Mayo.

Historical records indicate that the O'Malleys were a seafaring family and played a crucial role in maritime activities along the western coast of Ireland. In the 16th century, the clan was known for their involvement in piracy and their notorious exploits on the high seas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name O'Malley can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several members of the O'Malley clan, including Grace O'Malley (c. 1530-c. 1603), a renowned Irish pirate queen, also known as "Gráinne Mhaol" or "Granuaile."

Another notable figure with the O'Malley surname was Owen Roe O'Malley (1598-1702), an Irish soldier who fought for the Spanish against the Dutch in the Low Countries during the Eighty Years' War. He later served in the Irish Confederate Wars and played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

In the 18th century, Theobald O'Malley (1720-1798) was an Irish priest and mathematician who made contributions to the field of calculus. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy and served as a professor of mathematics at the University of Dublin.

During the 19th century, the surname O'Malley was associated with several prominent figures, including William Samuel O'Malley (1827-1904), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for New York.

Another notable individual with the O'Malley surname was Edward O'Malley (1842-1932), an American Roman Catholic priest and journalist. He served as the editor of the Catholic newspaper, The New World, and was instrumental in promoting Catholic education in the United States.

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

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

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'Malley 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'Malley 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'Malley 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'Malley, please contact us.

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