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

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

Popularity of O'Riley in America

O'Riley is the 24012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Riley surname appeared 1,050 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'Riley.

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

The surname ORILEY is of Irish origin, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is a variant of the more common Irish surname O'Reilly, which means "descendant of Riaghail" or "descendant of the royal one." The name is derived from the Old Irish word "rí," meaning "king," and was likely originally bestowed upon someone with royal lineage or connections.

The ORILEY surname is particularly associated with County Cavan in the Irish province of Ulster, where the O'Reilly clan was once a prominent and influential family. Historical records show that the O'Reilly clan played a significant role in the politics and conflicts of the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest known references to the ORILEY surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several members of the O'Reilly clan, including Aodh O'Reilly, who was appointed Bishop of Clogher in 1491.

Another notable historical figure bearing the ORILEY surname was Andrew O'Reilly (1742-1832), an Irish-born military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the American Revolutionary War. He played a crucial role in the Siege of Gibraltar and was later appointed Governor of Louisiana and West Florida during the Spanish rule over those territories.

In the realm of literature, the Irish poet and novelist Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) was born with the surname ORILEY but later changed it to Kavanagh. His works, such as the novel "The Green Fool" and the poetry collection "The Great Hunger," are considered seminal works in modern Irish literature.

Another prominent figure with the ORILEY surname was John O'Reilly (1844-1890), an Irish-American poet, journalist, and novelist. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and was exiled to Western Australia for his involvement in the Fenian movement. After his release, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a prominent literary figure and advocate for Irish nationalism.

Lastly, Hugh O'Reilly (1914-2000) was an Irish-American labor leader who served as the president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983. He played a significant role in negotiating labor contracts and advocating for workers' rights during his tenure.

Throughout history, the ORILEY surname has been associated with various prominent figures, spanning the realms of religion, literature, politics, and labor movements, all contributing to the rich tapestry of Irish cultural heritage.

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

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

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'Riley 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'Riley 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'Riley 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'Riley, please contact us.

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