How common is the surname O'Malley?

17,588 people in the United States had the surname O'Malley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,554 Americans. It ranked 2,046th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname O'Malley?

In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named O'Malley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named O'Malley?

Martin O'Malley, American politician (born 1963), followed by Mike O'Malley.

Where is the surname O'Malley most common?

Wikidata records people named O'Malley in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

How do you pronounce O'Malley?

O'Malley is /oʊˈmæli/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname O'Malley getting more or less common?

More common. 17,027 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,588 in 2010, up 3.3%.

The surname O'Malley

An Irish surname, carried by 17,588 people in the United States.

Pronounced /oʊˈmæli/ 3 syllables Soundex O540

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). O'Malley is more common than 98.7% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Máille meaning "from/of Umaill". The name's origin is uncertain, but compare *maglos (“noble”), mall (“slow, stately”), málla (“pleasant”).

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 17,588 people named O'Malley in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 17,554 Americans. That is up 3.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 17,027.

#2,046

rank among US surnames

17,588

people in 2010

6.0

per 100,000 Americans

+3.3%

change since 2000 (was #1,938)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,037	Marcus	17,671	17,472
#2,038	Crain	17,650	17,493
#2,039	Cagle	17,647	17,496
#2,040	Bauman	17,641	17,502
#2,041	Friend	17,635	17,508
#2,042	Crespo	17,629	17,514
#2,043	Calvert	17,619	17,523

Who is named O'Malley

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

95% of people named O'Malley identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.4% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
Two or more races 1.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous O'Malleys

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Martin O'Malley
American politician (born 1963)
Mike O'Malley
American actor, born 1966
Sean O'Malley
American mixed martial artist (born 1994)
Pat O'Malley
American stage and film actor (1890-1966)
William O'Malley
American actor and priest (1931–2023)
Stephen O'Malley
American musician, born 1974
John O'Malley
American Jesuit priest and professor of theology (1927–2022)
Kathleen O'Malley
American actress (1924-2019)
Walter O'Malley
American businessman (1903–1979)
King O'Malley
Australian politician (1858-1953)
Owen O'Malley
British diplomat (1887-1974)

Notable O'Malleys come mostly from the United States (10) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1).

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname O'Malley come from?: Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Máille meaning "from/of Umaill". The name's origin is uncertain, but compare *maglos (“noble”), mall (“slow, stately”), málla (“pleasant”).
How common is the surname O'Malley?: 17,588 people in the United States had the surname O'Malley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,554 Americans. It ranked 2,046th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname O'Malley?: In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named O'Malley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named O'Malley?: Martin O'Malley, American politician (born 1963), followed by Mike O'Malley.
Where is the surname O'Malley most common?: Wikidata records people named O'Malley in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
How do you pronounce O'Malley?: O'Malley is /oʊˈmæli/, 3 syllables.
Is the surname O'Malley getting more or less common?: More common. 17,027 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,588 in 2010, up 3.3%.