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

Vallely, 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 Vallely surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vallely in America

Vallely is the 38582nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vallely surname appeared 573 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vallely.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vallely 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 Vallely

The surname Vallely is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Irish territory of Uí Bhreasail, located in what is now County Armagh, Northern Ireland. This territory was named after the Bressail clan who settled there during the early medieval period.

Vallely is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Bhalóidhe, which means "descendant of Bhalóidh." Bhalóidh is a personal name derived from the Irish word "bálóg," meaning "bald" or "tonsured one," suggesting that the original bearer may have been a monk or cleric.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, which mention a "Gilla Pátraic Ua Bhalóidhe" in the year 1181. This entry refers to an individual named "Gilla Pátraic Ua Bhalóidhe," who was likely a member of the Vallely family or clan.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the surname Vallely is recorded in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were official records of royal grants and orders in Ireland. This suggests that members of the Vallely family held land or positions of some importance during this period.

Notable individuals with the surname Vallely include:

1. James Vallely (c. 1785-1870), an Irish Presbyterian minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1853.
2. Brian Vallely (1941-2021), an Irish traditional musician and composer from County Armagh, known for his work on the Irish flute and whistle.
3. Seán Vallely (born 1964), an Irish traditional musician and composer, son of Brian Vallely, recognized for his expertise on the Irish flute and whistle.
4. Thomas Vallely (1806-1886), an Irish poet and songwriter from County Armagh, best known for his ballad "The Shan Van Vocht."
5. Francis Vallely (1788-1856), an Irish writer and historian from County Armagh, who published works on the history and antiquities of Ireland.

The surname Vallely has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, including Vallely Townland and Vallely Bridge, both located in County Armagh, further reinforcing the family's historical ties to this region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vallely

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

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

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

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