The Oneal surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 47,979 people carried this name — #729 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,150 people counted. That is up 4% from 46,161 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Oneal surname

A surname from Irish, variant of O'Neill.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Oneal was counted together with O'Neal: 87 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 478 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: O'Neal, O'Nail, Onail, Onailes, Onale, Oncale, Oneal, ONeale, Oneale, Oneales, ONeall, Oneall, O'Neals, ONeil, Oneil, O Neill, Oniel, Oniell, Orneal. 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

North Carolina 34
Maryland 14
South Carolina 13
Virginia 10
Pennsylvania 9
New York 4
Maine 1
New Hampshire 1
Massachusetts 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. 256 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Oneal in American newspapers,
1910–1912.

Newspaper page from Deseret Evening News carrying the name Oneal
Deseret Evening News 1910-01-15
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Oneal
The Laramie Republican 1910-06-28
Newspaper page from The Farmer And Mechanic carrying the name Oneal
The Farmer And Mechanic 1912-04-02

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

In print

Oneal in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1980s.

2,747 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Oneal. The most, 397, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,435
Victoria 438
Queensland 318
Tasmania 268
South Australia 147
Western Australia 117
ACT (Canberra) 17

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

Who carried it

People named Oneal,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Zibby Oneal 1934–2025 · writer

Wikidata (CC0).

In the public record

People named Oneal,
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 States2,009 records

2,009 records of the Oneal name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,499
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 206
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 91
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 72
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 58
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 46
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 15
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 14
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 4
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James E. Oneal

    Born 1920 in Georgia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort George G Meade, Maryland; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Maryland National Memorial Park, Laurel, Maryland.

    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 Jerry Lee Oneal

    Born 1948; from Flint, Michigan. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Ngai, 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 Margt Oneal

    Arrived at New York in 1849 aboard the Queen of the West from Liverpool, aged 17; laborer. From Longford, Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 2,009 records for Oneal in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · 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).

Australia119 records

119 records of the Oneal name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 72
  • Tasmanian Names Index 36
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 9
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Catherine Mary Oneal

    Born 1877 in New Norfolk, Tasmania. Married 1896 in Brighton, Tasmania, aged 19.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Constance, aged 21; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (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 James Oneal

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Duke of Portland, arriving 1807.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 119 records for Oneal 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). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada10 records

10 records of the Oneal name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 8
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marg't Oneal

    Came to Ontario in 1865 aboard the St Davids, landing at Quebec, bound for Ingersol, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Michael Oneal

    Listed at New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia in the census and tax rolls of 1838.

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

    Came to Ontario in 1865 aboard the St Davids, landing at Quebec, bound for Thorold, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Oneal in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Oneal name in the United Kingdom St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Oneal

    Buried in 1804 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 1 of 2 records for Oneal in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Oneal name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Daniel Oneal

    Married in 1696 in Rotterdam; born in Dublin.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Oneal.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Oneal 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.

See the Oneal volume
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