Queally last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Queally is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Queally.

Meaning of Queally

Irish surname derived from the Gaelic nickname "Ó Cadhla" meaning "descendant of the comely one."

Queally, 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 Queally surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Queally in America

Queally is the 115639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Queally surname appeared 151 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 Queally.

We can also compare 2010 data for Queally 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 115639 127186 -9.51%
Count 151 124 19.64%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Queally

The surname Queally is believed to have originated in Ireland, tracing its roots back to the ancient Gaelic Ó Cadhla clan. This name is derived from the Irish word "cadhal," which means "gentle" or "gracious." The Ó Cadhla clan was prominent in County Cork and County Limerick during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Queally can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 12th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Amhlaoibh Ó Cadhla, who was a powerful chieftain in the region of Duhallow, County Cork, in the late 11th century.

As the name spread across Ireland, different spellings emerged, such as O'Cally, O'Cally, and Queally. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and the anglicization of Irish names during the English conquest of Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the 16th century, the Queally family held lands in County Limerick, particularly in the area around Adare. A notable figure from this era was Donogh Queally, who served as the Bishop of Limerick from 1536 to 1551. He played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of the region during the tumultuous period of the English Reformation.

Another prominent individual with the surname Queally was John Queally (1720-1798), a prominent Irish Catholic lawyer and landowner from County Cork. He was a vocal advocate for Catholic rights during the Penal Laws and was instrumental in the formation of the Catholic Committee, a political organization that campaigned for greater rights for Irish Catholics.

In the 19th century, the Queally name gained recognition in the literary and academic circles. One notable figure was Edwin Queally (1808-1888), an Irish-born writer, and educator who emigrated to the United States. He served as the principal of several prominent schools in New York and published several works on education and literature.

Throughout history, the Queally surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Queally's Cross in County Cork and Queally's Bridge in County Limerick. These place names reflect the historical presence and influence of the Queally family in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Queally

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Queally.

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 Queally was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 99.34% 150
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Queally has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 99.34% 98.39% 0.96%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

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 Queally was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Queally, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Queally last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/queally-surname-popularity/.

"Queally last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/queally-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 October, 2024

Queally last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/queally-surname-popularity/.

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