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

Shanley, 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 Shanley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shanley in America

Shanley is the 7384th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shanley surname appeared 4,511 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Shanley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shanley 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 Shanley

The surname Shanley originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Louth and Armagh, during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic words "sean" meaning "old" and "leath" meaning "portion" or "territory." The name likely referred to an individual who lived in an old or established part of a particular area.

Variations of the spelling include Shanly, Shanlee, and Shanlye. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, with references found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, the Shanley name appeared in the 1659 Census of Ireland, which was a survey conducted by Sir William Petty after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. This suggests that the Shanley family had established roots in Ireland by that time.

One notable figure in history was Sir John Shanley, an Irish soldier and landowner who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a captain in the Irish rebel forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) against English rule.

Another prominent Shanley was Walter Shanley (1783-1847), an Irish Catholic priest who was active in the early 19th century. He served as the Bishop of Kilmore and played a role in the establishment of the Catholic Seminary of Cavan.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the Shanley surname was Patrick Shanley, who was born in Ireland around 1790 and immigrated to New York in the early 19th century.

John Wilbur Shanley (1901-1979) was an American writer and screenwriter who gained fame in the mid-20th century. He wrote the screenplay for the classic film "The Luck of the Irish" in 1948.

James Shanley (1932-2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter, best known for his play "Doubt: A Parable," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2005.

The Shanley surname has deep roots in Ireland, dating back to the medieval period, and has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration. While originally rooted in specific regions of Ireland, the name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shanley

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

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

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

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