2000
#7,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Skelly
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Scealaigh," meaning "descendant of the storyteller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,567 Americans carry the last name Skelly. That puts it at #7,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skelly 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 Skelly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,050
Census rank
#7,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,983 bearers of the surname Skelly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 He was involved in the lucrative trade between Scotland and the West Indies and is mentioned in several historical documents related to shipping and commerce.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skelly
Among Census respondents with the surname Skelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Skelly 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 Skelly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 3,627
- Two or more races3.6% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 132
- Black or African American0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skelly
Skelly 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
#7,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,157
+160 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 278 places
2020
#7,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,983
-174 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,680 | 3,997 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,958 | 4,157 | 1.41 | +160 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 278 places |
| 2020 | #7,974 | 3,983 | 1.33 | -174 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 16 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 Skelly 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 | #7,958 | #7,974 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,157 | 3,983 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.33 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skelly bearers went from 4,157 to 3,983 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,958 to #7,974.
FAQ
Skelly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skelly?
Name Census estimates that about 4,567 living Americans carry the surname Skelly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,050 residents.
How common is Skelly?
Skelly ranks #7,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,983 people with the surname Skelly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,567), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Skelly.
Has Skelly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skelly went from 4,157 recorded bearers to 3,983. That is a decrease of 174 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,958 to #7,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Skelly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skelly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Skelly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (3,627 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skelly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Skelly (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 Skelly mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Scealaigh," meaning "descendant of the storyteller." 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 Skelly (1.33 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 Skelly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.