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

Toole, 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 Toole surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Toole in America

Toole is the 5331st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Toole surname appeared 6,534 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 Toole.

We can also compare 2010 data for Toole 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 Toole

The surname TOOLE is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "tuathalach," meaning "territorial" or "having land." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who owned or occupied a particular territory or land area.

In early Irish records and manuscripts, the name is found spelled in various ways, such as "O'Tuathalain," "O'Tuathail," and "Tuathal." These spellings reflect the patronymic prefix "O," which means "descendant of," and the various spelling variations that were common in those times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TOOLE is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1167, it mentions a man named Tuathal O'Tuathail, who was the Lord of Fermanagh, a county in Ulster, Northern Ireland.

During the Middle Ages, the TOOLE family held lands in County Fermanagh and County Cavan, and they were influential members of the Gaelic nobility in those regions. Some notable individuals from this period include Donnell O'Toole, who was the King of Leinster in the late 12th century, and Loughlin O'Toole, who was the Archbishop of Dublin in the early 13th century.

As the name spread across Ireland, it also evolved into various anglicized spellings, such as "Toole," "Toohill," and "Toohey." One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "TOOLE" can be found in the Fiants of Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the late 16th century, which mentions a man named John Toole.

Notable individuals with the surname TOOLE include:

1. John Toole (1832-1906), an English actor and comedian known for his performances in pantomimes and farces.
2. James Toole (1819-1867), an Irish-American politician who served as the 59th Mayor of New York City.
3. Maureen Toole (1945-2021), an American author and journalist who wrote several novels and non-fiction books.
4. John Toole (1905-1995), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s.
5. James Toole (1943-2022), an American neuroscientist and stroke researcher who made significant contributions to understanding the prevention and treatment of strokes.

While the TOOLE surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread worldwide through immigration and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and nationalities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Toole

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

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

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

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