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

Quealy, 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 Quealy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quealy in America

Quealy is the 52619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quealy surname appeared 394 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 Quealy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quealy 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 Quealy

The surname Quealy is of Irish origin, with roots tracing back to the early Middle Ages in Ireland. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Cuaille, which means "descendant of Cuaille." The name Cuaille itself is derived from the Irish word "cuaille," meaning "pole" or "stake."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In these annals, the name Ó Cuaille is mentioned in reference to members of a prominent family from County Galway in the 14th century.

The Quealy surname is particularly associated with the counties of Galway and Mayo in the western part of Ireland. Some variations in spelling over the centuries include Queley, Quaely, and Quealy, reflecting the challenges of transliterating Gaelic names into English.

Notable individuals with the surname Quealy include:

1. John Quealy (1783-1855), an Irish-born Australian farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the early colonial settlement of New South Wales.

2. Patrick Quealy (1847-1918), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Syracuse, New York, from 1895 to 1897.

3. James Quealy (1859-1935), an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1905 to 1918.

4. Thomas Quealy (1891-1957), an Irish writer and journalist known for his contributions to the Irish language literary movement in the early 20th century.

5. Seán Quealy (1930-2013), an Irish hurler who played for the Tipperary senior hurling team and won three All-Ireland medals in the 1950s.

While the Quealy surname may not have been as widely documented in historical records as some other Irish names, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic traditions of Ireland, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quealy

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

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

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

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