The Dooley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,481 people carried this name — #1,527 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 22,798 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dooley surname

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubhlaoich (“descendant of Dubhlaoch”), a personal name composed by the elements dubh (“black”) + laoch (“hero”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dooley» (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 60 births for the Dooley name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 11 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin and King's.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 33
Munster 12
Connacht 10
Ulster 5

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

In the Nordic population registers

21 people named Dooley is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 21

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).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Dooley was found among the farmers of Cheshire: 11 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Dooley in American newspapers,
1898–1903.

Newspaper page from The News-herald carrying the name Dooley
The News-herald 1898-11-10
Newspaper page from The Ohio Democrat carrying the name Dooley
The Ohio Democrat 1903-09-03
Newspaper page from Lincoln County Record carrying the name Dooley
Lincoln County Record 1900-11-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Dooley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

73,500 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dooley. The most, 35,875, 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 Tasmania, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 39,987
Queensland 8,910
Tasmania 8,314
Victoria 7,953
Western Australia 4,469
South Australia 3,550
ACT (Canberra) 176
Northern Territory 112

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

Who carried it

People named Dooley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Mary Xavier Dooley
    Mary Xavier Dooley 1858–1929 · religious sister
  • James Dooley
    James Dooley 1877–1950 · politician
  • John Dooley
    John Dooley 1883–1961 · politician
  • James Dooley
    James Dooley 1886–1960 · judge
  • Rachel Rice Dooley
    Rachel Rice Dooley 1888–1984 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Mary Xavier Dooley: Vandemonian, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 140 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dooley,
in the records of 7 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 States5,170 records

5,170 records of the Dooley name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,744
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,293
  • Other U.S. records 2,133
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Edward Dooley

    Born 1942; from Manchester Center, Vermont. U.S. Navy, pilot; declared dead 1967 in North Vietnam. Buried at Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester, Vermont.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 William V. Dooley

    Born 1919 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Camp Upton Yaphank; porter from New York County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Bridget Dooley

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for Brooklyn.

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

Showing 3 of 5,170 records for Dooley 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia930 records

930 records of the Dooley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 453
  • Tasmanian Names Index 188
  • Other Australian records 289
  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 James Dooley

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Joseph Somes, sailing from London in 1846. Native of Westminster, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Monaghan Dooley

    Died 1891 in Mersey, Tasmania, aged 68. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Timothy Dooley

    Arrived in Queensland in 1878 aboard the Scottish Bard, aged 26.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 930 records for Dooley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada162 records

162 records of the Dooley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 114
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 12
  • Other Canadian records 36
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Nugent Dooley

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Hibernian, bound for Bradford, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Earl Percival Dooley

    Buried in 1997 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 80.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record George Joseph Dooley

    Died 1962 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 162 records for Dooley 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 Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom21 records

21 records of the Dooley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 17
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Betsy Dooley

    Died 1913, aged 64; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    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 Thomas Dooley

    Buried in 1818 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 50.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Dooley

    Gunner, North Staffordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Dooley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland17 records

17 records of the Dooley name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Delia Dooley

    Died 1974, aged 91; buried at Labane, 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 Nora Dooley

    Died 1978, aged 64; buried at Killererin (Old), 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 Dooley

    Died 2001; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Dooley 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).

New Zealand16 records

16 records of the Dooley name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Austin Dooley

    Died 1996, aged 84; buried at Belfast 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 John Dooley

    Buried in 1883 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 19.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Judith May Dooley

    Died 1991; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Dooley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City 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) · Waimakariri District 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).

France3 records

3 records of the Dooley 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 Richard M. Dooley

    Born 1927 in the United States; died 1991 in Montfermeil (Seine-Saint-Denis).

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

    Born 1943 in Bradford (Angleterre); died 1999 in La Tronche (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Dooley 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dooley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dooley is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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