2000
#88,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Oneale
A surname originally derived from the Irish Gaelic term "Ó Néill" meaning descendant of the ancient royal house of Niall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 248 Americans carry the last name Oneale. That puts it at #91,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,382,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oneale 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 Oneale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
248
1 in 1,382,074
Census rank
#91,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
216
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 216 bearers of the surname Oneale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 91558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oneale, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oneale
The surname ONEALE originated in Ireland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Niall." The Ó Néill dynasty was a powerful family that ruled a large part of Ulster in the northern part of Ireland for several centuries.
The earliest recorded example of this surname can be traced back to the 10th century, when the Annals of Ulster mention Muircheartach Ó Néill, who was a powerful Irish king and High King of Ireland from 941 to 943 AD. Another notable figure from this era was Niall Glúndub Ó Néill, who reigned as King of Ailech from 919 to 919 AD.
The surname ONEALE is also found in various medieval Irish manuscripts and records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters and the Book of Leinster. These sources document the exploits and battles of the Ó Néill clan, which played a significant role in Irish history during the Middle Ages.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the anglicized spelling ONEALE became more common as the English exerted greater control over Ireland. One notable figure from this period was Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (c. 1550-1616), who led a major rebellion against English rule in Ireland known as the Nine Years' War.
Other notable individuals with the surname ONEALE include Niall Ó Néill (1605-1680), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars, and John O'Neill (1701-1768), an Irish-American soldier and founder of the O'Neill dynasty in America.
Throughout history, the ONEALE surname has been closely tied to the rich cultural heritage and struggles of the Irish people, with many bearers playing significant roles in shaping the nation's history and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oneale
Among Census respondents with the surname Oneale, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oneale 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 Oneale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.4% · 111
- White39.8% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 9
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oneale
Oneale 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
#94,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
-2 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,228 places
2020
#91,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
+22 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 2,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,083 | 196 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #94,311 | 194 | 0.07 | -2 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 6,228 places |
| 2020 | #91,558 | 216 | 0.07 | +22 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 2,753 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 Oneale 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 | #94,311 | #91,558 | 2.9% |
| Count | 194 | 216 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oneale bearers went from 194 to 216 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 2,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #94,311 to #91,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oneale
FAQ
Oneale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oneale?
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the surname Oneale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,382,074 residents.
How common is Oneale?
Oneale ranks #91,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 216 people with the surname Oneale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oneale.
Has Oneale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oneale went from 194 recorded bearers to 216. That is an increase of 22 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #94,311 to #91,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Oneale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oneale, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oneale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oneale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.4%), White (39.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Oneale (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 Oneale mean?
A surname originally derived from the Irish Gaelic term "Ó Néill" meaning descendant of the ancient royal house of Niall. 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 Oneale (0.07 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 Oneale?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.