The O'Malley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,588 people carried this name — #2,046 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,800 people counted. That is up 3% from 17,027 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the O'Malley surname

Anglicisation of the Irish surname Ó Máille meaning "from/of Umaill". The name's origin is uncertain, but compare *maglos (“noble”), mall (“slow, stately”), málla (“pleasant”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «O'Malley» (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 30 births for the O’Malley name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 5 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “16 in Mayo.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 20
Munster 4
Leinster 3
Ulster 3

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

In print

O'Malley in American newspapers,
1891–1922.

Newspaper page from The Farmer And Mechanic carrying the name O'Malley
The Farmer And Mechanic 1911-02-14
Newspaper page from The Evening Bulletin carrying the name O'Malley
The Evening Bulletin 1891-05-06
Newspaper page from The Pensacola Journal carrying the name O'Malley
The Pensacola Journal 1922-12-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 60,514 pages in all carry the name.

In print

O'Malley in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

78,389 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss O'Malley. The most, 31,654, date from the 1910s. 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 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 24,018
Victoria 14,463
Queensland 13,129
South Australia 11,088
Tasmania 7,965
Western Australia 7,201
ACT (Canberra) 311
Northern Territory 46

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

Who carried it

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

  • J. Pat O'Malley
    J. Pat O'Malley 1904–1985 · dub actor
  • Pat O'Malley
    Pat O'Malley 1890–1966 · television actor
  • Grace O'Malley 1539–1603 · pirate

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

In the public record

People named O'Malley,
in the records of 4 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 States1,381 records

1,381 records of the O'Malley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 638
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 277
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 264
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 150
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 26
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 12
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles E. Omalley

    Born 1900 in California. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, from Los Angeles County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1954, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    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 Fred Gillespie Omalley

    Born 1946; from Farmer City, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, machinegunner; killed in action 1967 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 Martah Omalley

    Arrived at New York in 1835 aboard the John Jay from Liverpool, aged 36; farmer. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,381 records for O'Malley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (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, 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).

Australia301 records

301 records of the O'Malley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 181
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 96
  • Tasmanian Names Index 21
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  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 Daniel Omalley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Blenheim, arriving 1834.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michael Omalley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Liguria, aged 48; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Kate Omalley

    Cleaner of W Melbourne, Victoria; died 1942.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 301 records for O'Malley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (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). 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); 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).

Ireland4 records

4 records of the O'Malley name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mathias Omalley

    Died 1949, aged 77; buried at Ballinakill_Sean Bhaile Bail na Cille, 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 Cóil Ómalley

    Died 1992; buried at Lettermullen Cúigeal Leitir Mealláin, 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 Patrick Ómalley

    Died 1966; buried at Lettermullen Cúigeal Leitir Mealláin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for O'Malley 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).

France1 record

1 record of the O'Malley 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 Margaret Omalley

    Born 1900 in Ireland; died 1993 in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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 O'Malley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where O'Malley 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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