2000
#3,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Scully
An Irish occupational surname referring to a scholar or schoolmaster, derived from Ó Scolaidhe meaning "descendant of the scholar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,811 Americans carry the last name Scully. That puts it at #4,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scully surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scully with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,936
Census rank
#4,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,556 bearers of the surname Scully in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scully, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scully
The surname Scully originated in Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the Irish Gaelic name Ó Scolaidhe, meaning "descendant of the scholar." This name was prominent in County Westmeath, and it is believed to have emerged as a hereditary surname around the 10th or 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scully can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname Scully, including Maoileachlainn Ó Scolaidhe, who was the chief of the Uí Laoghaire sept in County Westmeath in the 14th century.
The Scully surname also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the medieval period, such as the Pipe Rolls of the 13th century and the Fiants of the 16th century. These records often refer to individuals with the name Scully or its variant spellings, such as Sculley, Scullie, or O'Scully.
One notable figure in Irish history with the surname Scully was Sir John Scully (1592-1646), a member of the Irish Parliament and a prominent landowner in County Dublin. Another prominent individual was Denis Scully (1773-1856), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
Other notable individuals with the Scully surname include:
1. Vincent Scully (1920-2017), an American architect, writer, and educator who was considered one of the most influential architectural historians of the 20th century.
2. Vin Scully (1927-2022), an American sportscaster who was best known for his 67-season tenure broadcasting for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball.
3. Dana Scully, the fictional character played by Gillian Anderson in the popular television series "The X-Files."
4. John Scully (1744-1805), an Irish-born American clergyman who served as the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina.
5. John Scully (1740-1818), an Irish-born American merchant and politician who served as the second Governor of Pennsylvania from 1808 to 1817.
While the Scully surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to Irish emigration, particularly during the 19th century. Today, the name is found not only in Ireland but also in other countries with significant Irish diaspora populations, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scully
Among Census respondents with the surname Scully, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Scully bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Scully surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 7,768
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 304
- Two or more races2.5% · 213
- Black or African American2.1% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scully
Scully appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,747
+169 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#4,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,556
-191 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,796 | 8,578 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,060 | 8,747 | 2.97 | +169 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #4,023 | 8,556 | 2.86 | -191 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 37 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Scully surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,060 | #4,023 | 0.9% |
| Count | 8,747 | 8,556 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.97 | 2.86 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scully bearers went from 8,747 to 8,556 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,060 to #4,023.
FAQ
Scully surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scully?
Name Census estimates that about 9,811 living Americans carry the surname Scully. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,936 residents.
How common is Scully?
Scully ranks #4,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,556 people with the surname Scully. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Scully.
Has Scully become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scully went from 8,747 recorded bearers to 8,556. That is a decrease of 191 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,060 to #4,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Scully?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scully, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Scully in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (7,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scully appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Scully (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Scully mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a scholar or schoolmaster, derived from Ó Scolaidhe meaning "descendant of the scholar." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Scully (2.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Scully?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.