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

Skelly, 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 Skelly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Skelly in America

Skelly is the 7958th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Skelly surname appeared 4,157 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Skelly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Skelly 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 Skelly

The surname Skelly originated in Scotland in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "sgoilteach," which means "split" or "cloven." This likely refers to someone who lived near a split or cloven rock formation or a geographical feature with a similar characteristic.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Skelly appears in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1597, where a man named John Skelly is mentioned as a resident of Ayrshire. In the 17th century, the name was also found in various parish records in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

One notable early bearer of the name was Robert Skelly, a Scottish merchant and ship owner who lived in the late 17th century. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the West Indies and is mentioned in several historical documents related to shipping and commerce.

In the 18th century, the name Skelly began to appear in Irish records as well, likely due to migration from Scotland to Ireland. One of the earliest Irish references to the name is found in the parish records of County Antrim, where a family named Skelly is recorded as living in the town of Ballymoney in the 1720s.

A prominent figure with the surname Skelly was Sir Robert Skelly (1760-1841), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Carrickfergus in the early 19th century. He was a influential figure in Ulster politics and played a role in the debates surrounding the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Skelly was James Skelly (1807-1878), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor. He was involved in several expeditions to map and explore the interior of Western Australia in the mid-19th century and contributed significantly to the understanding of the region's geography and natural resources.

Over time, the name Skelly has been found in various spellings, such as Skellie, Skeely, and Skeillie, reflecting regional variations and phonetic adaptations. While the name originated in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and beyond, carried by the descendants of early Scottish and Irish bearers of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Skelly

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

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

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

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