2000
#886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.20
Uncommon Last name
Oconnell
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Conaill," derived from the Irish name Ó Conaill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,939 Americans carry the last name Oconnell. That puts it at #986 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,582 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oconnell 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 Oconnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,582
Census rank
#986
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,829 bearers of the surname Oconnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 986th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oconnell
The surname OCONNELL is an anglicized form of the ancient Irish Gaelic name Ó Conaill, which originated in County Kerry, Ireland. It means "descendant of Conall" and can be traced back to the 10th century. The prefix "O" is derived from the Irish word "ua" meaning grandson or descendant.
The name is believed to have originated in the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, where the Ó Conaill clan were an influential family during medieval times. They were Lords of Iveragh and held large territories around the Dingle area. The Ó Conaill sept (clan) was one of the most powerful in Munster.
The name first appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, in the year 1014 when Donnchadh Ó Conaill, Lord of Iveragh, is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Book of Leinster, a 12th-century manuscript, where Diarmait Ó Conaill is recorded as a witness to a charter.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the anglicized spelling OCONNELL is found in the Pipe Rolls of 1211, which were financial records of the English Crown. An entry lists "Mauricius Oconell" as owing money for lands in County Kerry.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the OCONNELL surname, including Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847), an Irish political leader and emancipator who campaigned for Catholic rights and Irish self-governance. Sir Maurice O'Connell (1612-1669) was an Irish royalist who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.
Other prominent figures include William Henry O'Connell (1859-1944), a Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Boston; John O'Connell (1810-1858), an Irish novelist and short story writer; and Maureen O'Connell (born 1946), an American figure skater who won gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oconnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Oconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Oconnell 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 Oconnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 32,234
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,212
- Two or more races2.5% · 871
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 306
- Black or African American0.4% · 150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oconnell
Oconnell 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
#961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,194
+584 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 12.27
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,829
-1,365 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 11.65
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #886 | 35,610 | 13.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #961 | 36,194 | 12.27 | +584 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #986 | 34,829 | 11.65 | -1,365 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 25 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 Oconnell 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 | #961 | #986 | -2.6% |
| Count | 36,194 | 34,829 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.27 | 11.65 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oconnell bearers went from 36,194 to 34,829 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #961 to #986.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oconnell
FAQ
Oconnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oconnell?
Name Census estimates that about 39,939 living Americans carry the surname Oconnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,582 residents.
How common is Oconnell?
Oconnell ranks #986 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,829 people with the surname Oconnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Oconnell.
Has Oconnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oconnell went from 36,194 recorded bearers to 34,829. That is a decrease of 1,365 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #961 to #986.
What does the Census say about the background of Oconnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oconnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Oconnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (32,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oconnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Oconnell (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 Oconnell mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Conaill," derived from the Irish name Ó Conaill. 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 Oconnell (11.65 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 share the surname Oconnell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.