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

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

Popularity of O'Nell in America

O'Nell is the 80131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Nell surname appeared 237 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname O'Nell.

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

The surname ONELL is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Kerry and Cork. It dates back to the 16th century and is derived from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Niall." The name Niall is believed to have come from the Old Irish word "niadh," meaning "champion" or "warrior."

The Gaelic Ó Néill clan was once one of the most powerful and influential families in Ireland, ruling over parts of Ulster and forming the dynasty of the High Kings of Ireland. Some notable historical figures with the name include Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), who ruled as High King in the 5th century, and Niall Glúndub, who reigned as High King in the 10th century.

The name ONELL appears in various historical records, including the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters, which are chronicles of medieval Irish history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a certain Domnall Ua Néill in the year 1166.

In the 17th century, during the English colonization of Ireland, many Irish families, including those with the name ONELL, were dispossessed of their lands and were forced to adopt anglicized versions of their names. This led to the emergence of various spellings, such as O'Neill, O'Neil, and ONELL.

Notable individuals with the surname ONELL include:

1. Hugh O'Neill (1550-1616), Earl of Tyrone and a prominent figure in the Nine Years' War against English rule in Ireland.
2. John O'Neill (1786-1848), an Irish-American soldier and hero of the War of 1812.
3. Elizabeth O'Neill (1791-1872), an Irish actress and playwright, known for her roles in various Shakespearean plays.
4. Barre O'Neill (1892-1944), an American artist and illustrator, known for his work in magazines such as Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair.
5. Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), a renowned American playwright and Nobel laureate, celebrated for works such as "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh."

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

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

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'Nell 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'Nell 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'Nell 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'Nell, please contact us.

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