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

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

Popularity of O'Toole in America

O'Toole is the 3309th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Toole surname appeared 10,842 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname O'Toole.

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

The surname OTOOLE is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Tuathail, which means "descendant of Tuathal." The name originates from County Tipperary in Ireland, and it is believed to have been adopted in the 10th or 11th century.

The name Tuathal is derived from the Old Irish word "tuath," meaning "people" or "territory," and the suffix "-al," which denotes a personal name. The prefix "Ó" means "descendant of" or "grandson of," indicating that the OTOOLE surname was originally a patronymic name.

One of the earliest recorded references to the OTOOLE name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention several members of the OTOOLE family, who were rulers and chieftains in County Tipperary.

In the 14th century, a branch of the OTOOLE family settled in County Wicklow, where they became prominent landowners and leaders. One of the most notable members of this branch was Turlough OTOOLE, who was appointed High Sheriff of County Wicklow in 1398.

Another prominent figure in Irish history with the OTOOLE surname was Sir Barnabas OTOOLE (1588-1628), who was a member of the Irish Parliament and played a significant role in the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, several members of the OTOOLE family, including Colonel Donough OTOOLE, were prominent leaders in the Confederate Catholic movement against English rule.

In the literary world, the Irish writer and politician Justin OTOOLE (1914-2003) was a notable figure. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was also a renowned novelist and short story writer.

Other notable individuals with the OTOOLE surname include the American actor Peter OTOOLE (1932-2013), who won numerous awards for his performances in films such as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Lion in Winter," and the Australian rules footballer Dan OTOOLE (born 1990), who plays for the Fremantle Dockers in the Australian Football League.

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

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

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'Toole 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'Toole 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'Toole 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'Toole, please contact us.

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