The Connolly surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 29,710 people carried this name — #1,190 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,930 people counted. That is up 3% from 28,821 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Connolly surname

Anglicization of Irish Ó Conghalaigh and Ó Conghaile, patronyms of Conghalach.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Connolly» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 381 births for the Connolly name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 16,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 146
Connacht 88
Leinster 81
Munster 66

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 71 people named Connolly live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 52
City of Buenos Aires 19

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

47 people named Connolly live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 13
Geneva 9
Basel-Landschaft 8
Vaud 7
Aargau 4
Bern 3
Basel-Stadt 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Connolly.

Most of them — 24 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 24
Paris 5

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

27 people named Connolly have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 75 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 10
Lower Silesian 4
Pomeranian 4
Podlaskie 3
Lublin 2
Subcarpathian 2
Silesian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

45 people named Connolly is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 45

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Connolly was recorded 68 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 393rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 90. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

107 families named Connolly, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 615 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 22 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 29
Pennsylvania 25
North Carolina 15
South Carolina 10
New York 9
Virginia 9
Massachusetts 5
Connecticut 2
Maine 1
New Hampshire 1
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Connolly in American newspapers,
1894–1899.

Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Connolly
The Anaconda Standard 1898-06-24
Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Connolly
The Anaconda Standard 1899-09-16
Newspaper page from The Scranton Tribune carrying the name Connolly
The Scranton Tribune 1894-12-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,635 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Connolly in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

114,670 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Connolly. The most, 19,696, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 36,286
Queensland 29,109
Victoria 17,860
Western Australia 17,067
Tasmania 5,860
South Australia 5,638
ACT (Canberra) 2,548
Northern Territory 113

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Connolly.

Who carried it

People named Connolly,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard B. Connolly
    Richard B. Connolly 1810–1880 · politician
  • Thomas-Louis Connolly
    Thomas-Louis Connolly 1814–1876 · Catholic priest
  • James A. Connolly
    James A. Connolly 1843–1914 · lawyer
  • Daniel W. Connolly
    Daniel W. Connolly 1847–1894 · lawyer
  • Lillie Connolly
    Lillie Connolly 1867–1938

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 232 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Connolly,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States11,780 records

11,780 records of the Connolly name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,983
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,518
  • Other U.S. records 4,279
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edwin C. Connolly

    Born 1909 in Kansas. Enlisted 1942 at Tacoma, Washington; cook from Clark County, Washington. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Noah L. Connolly

    Born 1924 in Arizona. Enlisted 1943 at Phoenix; driver from Apache County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1990, buried at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Connolly

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 19; servant. From Galway, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 11,780 records for Connolly in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,466 records

2,466 records of the Connolly name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 770
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 575
  • Other Australian records 1,121
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Maria Connolly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Platina, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Married 1841 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Martin Connolly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Ireland in 1852. Native of Galway. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Catherine Connolly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mary Anne, sailing from Dublin in 1840. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,466 records for Connolly in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada698 records

698 records of the Connolly name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 556
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 37
  • Other Canadian records 105
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Richard Connolly

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 35; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Connolly

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Austrian, landing at Quebec, bound for Parry Sound, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Michael Louis Connolly

    Buried in 2001 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 698 records for Connolly in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Ireland235 records

235 records of the Connolly name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Connolly

    Died 1900, aged 62; buried at Clontuskert Abbey, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Connolly

    Died 1988, aged 68; buried at Ballygar, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Connolly

    Died 1956, aged 46; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 235 records for Connolly in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom53 records

53 records of the Connolly name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 32
  • Stirling Council burial records 16
  • Other British records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Connolly

    Buried in 1989 at Kilmadock Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 86.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Connolly

    Buried in 1798 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 45.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Patrick Connolly

    Will proved in 1927; of Jersey Channel Islands.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 53 records for Connolly in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand52 records

52 records of the Connolly name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 30
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 10
  • Other New Zealand records 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martha Maud Connolly

    Died 1965, aged 76; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alaric Arthur Connolly

    Died 1976, aged 65; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 52 records for Connolly in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Connolly name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 7
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Donovan John Vernon Connolly

    Born 1911 in Middelburg. Married in 1942 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Patrick Connolly

    In the population register of Dublin Ierl; "professor", born 1873 in Dublin Ierl.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Connolly in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France8 records

8 records of the Connolly name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcel Victor Connolly

    Born 1900 in Paris; died 1972 in Saint-Aubin-les-Forges (Nièvre).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maud Amy Connolly

    Born 1916 in Paris; died 1982 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Connolly in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium3 records

3 records of the Connolly name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Maria Connolly

    Born 1920 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Connolly in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Connolly.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Connolly is.
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