The O'Connell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 36,194 people carried this name — #961 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,150 people counted. That is up 2% from 35,610 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the O'Connell surname

Anglicization of Irish Ó Conaill (“descendant of Connel”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «O'Connell» (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 130 births for the O’Connell name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 5,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 100
Leinster 14
Connacht 10
Ulster 6

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

In print

O'Connell in American newspapers,
1848–1925.

Newspaper page from Casper Daily Tribune carrying the name O'Connell
Casper Daily Tribune 1925-01-10
Newspaper page from The Camden Chronicle carrying the name O'Connell
The Camden Chronicle 1903-01-30
Newspaper page from Polynesian carrying the name O'Connell
Polynesian 1848-09-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 190,764 pages in all carry the name.

In print

O'Connell in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

74,103 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss O'Connell. The most, 10,200, date from the 1930s. 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 Queensland, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 25,323
Queensland 16,676
Victoria 16,492
South Australia 8,064
Western Australia 3,933
Tasmania 3,048
ACT (Canberra) 365
Northern Territory 100

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

Who carried it

People named O'Connell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Daniel O'Connell
    Daniel O'Connell 1775–1847 · barrister
  • Arthur O'Connell
    Arthur O'Connell 1908–1981 · film actor
  • Patrick O'Connell
    Patrick O'Connell 1887–1959 · association football player
  • William Henry O'Connell
    William Henry O'Connell 1859–1944 · Catholic bishop
  • Helen O'Connell
    Helen O'Connell 1920–1993 · jazz musician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named O'Connell,
in the records of 5 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 States4,484 records

4,484 records of the O'Connell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,498
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,405
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 647
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 555
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 284
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 41
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 39
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Neil M. Oconnell

    Born 1919 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia; mechanic. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Ambler, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Grant Oconnell

    Born 1947; from Peru, Indiana. U.S. Army, infantry unit commander; killed in action 1969 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Oconnell

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the Arlington from Liverpool, aged 20; farmer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,484 records for O'Connell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,487 records

1,487 records of the O'Connell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,019
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 429
  • Tasmanian Names Index 39
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Oconnell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Cuzco, aged 3; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William John Oconnell

    Interstate truck haulier of South Yarra, Victoria; died 1967.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Oconnell

    Died 1862 in Westbury, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,487 records for O'Connell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada7 records

7 records of the O'Connell name in Canada Nova Scotia Archives name indexes
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Dennis Oconnell

    Died 1970 in Bayside, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 54.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Rita Gerldean Oconnell

    Born 1923 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Mortimer Oconnell

    Listed at Western Dist. Barrington, Shelburne, Nova Scotia in the census and tax rolls of 1838.

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

Showing 3 of 7 records for O'Connell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the O'Connell name in New Zealand Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Esme Oconnell

    Born 1918, died 1998; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Thomas Oconnell

    Born 1920, died 1997; ashes interred at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maurice Oconnell

    Died 1976; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for O'Connell in New Zealand.

Counts: Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the O'Connell name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register John Oconnell

    In the population register of Culemborg.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for O'Connell in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to O'Connell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where O'Connell 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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