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

Quigley, 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 Quigley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quigley in America

Quigley is the 2113th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quigley surname appeared 17,121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Quigley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quigley 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 Quigley

The surname Quigley is an anglicized version of an old Irish Gaelic name. It originated in County Mayo, Ireland, in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "O'Coigligh," which translates to "descendant of Coigleach." Coigleach was a personal name meaning "valorous" or "warlike."

The earliest recorded instance of the name Quigley can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The name appears as "O'Coigligh" in reference to a chieftain in County Mayo during the 1500s.

In the Annals of Ulster, another important historical record, the name is spelled "O'Cuiglidh" in an entry from the year 1432. This variation suggests that the name may have had multiple spellings in its early history.

One of the earliest recorded Quigleys was Tadhg O'Coigligh, a 16th-century Irish poet and historian from County Mayo. His works provide valuable insights into the cultural and political landscape of Ireland during that time.

Another notable figure with the surname was Captain Patrick Quigley, an Irish soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland between 1689 and 1691. He was born in County Mayo in the mid-17th century.

In the 18th century, a prominent Quigley was Reverend James Quigley, an Irish clergyman and author who was born in County Mayo in 1735. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

A famous bearer of the name in the 19th century was Martin Quigley, an Irish immigrant to the United States who was born in County Mayo in 1827. He became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In more recent history, there was Dorothy Quigley, a Scottish writer and journalist who lived from 1915 to 1994. She was known for her novels and short stories that often explored themes of Scottish culture and identity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quigley

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

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

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

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