Explore the Family Name Farrelly

The meaning of Farrelly

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fearghaile, from Fearghaile, the longer genitive form of the personal name Fearghal ‘man of valour’ (see Farrell). Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Clodagh, Fintan, Kieran.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Farrelly in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Farrelly has witnessed a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 17,984 in terms of prevalence and slightly dipped to 18,550 by 2010, marking a 3.15% reduction. However, the count of individuals bearing this surname increased marginally from 1,431 in 2000 to 1,487 in 2010, showing a growth of 3.91%. The proportion of people with the Farrelly surname per 100,000 decreased by 5.66%, from 0.53 in 2000 to 0.5 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#17,984#18,550-3.15%
Count1,4311,4873.91%
Proportion per 100k0.530.5-5.66%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Farrelly

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides valuable insights into the ethnicity of those with the Farrelly surname. In 2000, the majority of individuals identified as White (93.36%), while by 2010, this percentage had dropped slightly to 91.46%. The Hispanic population within this group saw a significant increase of 55.67%, moving from 2.03% in 2000 to 3.16% in 2010. Likewise, the percentage of Black individuals grew by 20.09%, from 2.24% to 2.69%. Additionally, the census recorded a new appearance of Asian/Pacific Islander at 1.34% in 2010, where there was none in 2000, but there was no data for American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year. The percentage of people identifying as two or more races disappeared completely in 2010, dropping from 1.82% in 2000.

20002010Change
White93.36%91.46%-2.04%
Hispanic2.03%3.16%55.67%
Black2.24%2.69%20.09%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.34%0%
Two or More Races1.82%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%