Quinnelly last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Quinnelly

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Caoinealláin meaning "descendent of Caoinealláin."

Quinnelly, 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 Quinnelly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Quinnelly in America

Quinnelly is the 92719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Quinnelly surname appeared 198 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 Quinnelly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Quinnelly 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 92719 96033 -3.51%
Count 198 176 11.76%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.07 0.00%

The history of the last name Quinnelly

The surname Quinnelly is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in County Cork, Ireland, where it was an anglicized version of the Gaelic name "Ó Cuinneáin" or "Ó Cuinneálaidh," which means "descendant of Cuinneán" or "descendant of Cuinneálaidh."

Cuinneán and Cuinneálaidh were personal names derived from the Irish word "cuinne," meaning "point" or "angle." These names may have referred to a person who lived near a prominent angle or point of land, or perhaps someone with a pointed or angular physical feature.

The earliest recorded instances of the Quinnelly surname can be found in various Irish historical documents from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a "Donyll O'Quynelly" in the 1598 Fiants of Elizabeth I, which were records of official government pardons and grants.

In the 17th century, the Quinnelly name appeared in various Irish annals and records, often in association with County Cork and the surrounding areas. One notable figure from this period was Dermot Quinnelly, a landowner and member of the Irish gentry in County Cork, who lived in the late 1600s.

As the centuries passed, the Quinnelly name spread to other parts of Ireland and beyond, with many members of the family pursuing various professions and occupations. Some notable individuals with this surname include:

  1. Sir William Quinnelly (1778-1857), an Irish-born judge and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia.
  2. Reverend Michael Quinnelly (1826-1901), an Irish Catholic priest and missionary who served in Australia and was known for his work with Indigenous Australians.
  3. John Quinnelly (1867-1944), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, from 1912 to 1916.
  4. Mary Quinnelly (1882-1965), an Irish-American labor organizer and activist who played a significant role in the women's labor movement in the early 20th century.
  5. Robert Quinnelly (1923-2010), an American actor and screenwriter known for his work in television and films, including his role in the 1970s sitcom "Soap."

While the Quinnelly surname may have evolved from its original Gaelic roots, it has remained a distinct and recognizable name throughout history, with various branches and individuals leaving their mark in various fields and regions around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Quinnelly

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

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 Quinnelly was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.41% 181
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.03% 6
Hispanic Origin 3.03% 6

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.41% 98.86% -7.83%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.03% 0.00% 200.00%
Hispanic 3.03% (S)% (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 Quinnelly was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Quinnelly, 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!

"Quinnelly last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/quinnelly-surname-popularity/.

"Quinnelly last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/quinnelly-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 October, 2024

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

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