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    The surname O'Connell

    An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 36,194 people in the United States.

    3 syllables Soundex O254

    O'Connell: #961 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#10,001Dubon O'Connell #961, 36,194 people O'Connell: #961 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez O'Connell #961, 36,194 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). O'Connell is more common than 99.4% of them.

    Origin

    Irish origin

    Anglicization of Irish Ó Conaill (“descendant of Connel”).

    O'Connell is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 36,194 people named O'Connell in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,530 Americans. That is up 1.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 35,610.

    #961
    rank among US surnames
    36,194
    people in 2010
    12
    per 100,000 Americans
    +1.6%
    change since 2000 (was #886)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #952Faulkner36,4668,467
    #953Maynard36,4608,468
    #954Galindo36,4298,475
    #955Coffey36,4238,477
    #956Estes36,3188,501
    #957Sanford36,3128,503
    #958Burch36,2698,513

    Who is named O'Connell

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    95% of people named O'Connell identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.3% as two or more races.

    • White (not Hispanic) 95%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
    • Two or more races 1.3%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 0.3%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous O'Connells

    19 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Finneas O'Connell
      American musician and actor (born 1997)
    • Jerry O'Connell
      American actor, born 1974
    • Jack O'Connell
      British actor, born 1990
    • Arthur O'Connell
      American stage, film and television actor (1908-1981)
    • Charlie O'Connell
      American actor, born 1975
    • Helen O'Connell
      American actress and singer (1920–1993)
    • William Henry O'Connell
      American Roman Catholic cardinal (1859–1944)
    • Christopher O'Connell
      Australian tennis player, born 1994
    • Brittany O'Connell
      American pornographic film actress, born 1972
    • Deirdre O'Connell
      American actress, born 1951
    • David M. O'Connell
      American Catholic bishop, born 1955
    • Carol O'Connell
      American writer, born 1947

    Notable O'Connells come mostly from the United States (14), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (1).

    Other Irish surnames

    All 880 Irish surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname O'Connell come from?
    Anglicization of Irish Ó Conaill (“descendant of Connel”).
    How common is the surname O'Connell?
    36,194 people in the United States had the surname O'Connell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,530 Americans. It ranked 961st of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname O'Connell?
    In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named O'Connell identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
    Who is the most famous person named O'Connell?
    Finneas O'Connell, American musician and actor (born 1997), followed by Jerry O'Connell.
    Where is the surname O'Connell most common?
    Wikidata records people named O'Connell in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
    What type of surname is O'Connell?
    O'Connell is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname O'Connell getting more or less common?
    More common. 35,610 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 36,194 in 2010, up 1.6%.