NameCensus.

UK surname

Connolly

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Conghaile, meaning "descendant of Conghal," a personal name meaning "fierce as a hound."

In the 1881 census there were 3,447 people recorded with the Connolly surname, ranking it #1,325 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,025, ranked #424, up from #1,325 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ13, IZ11 and IZ12.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Connolly is 15,337 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 335.9%.

1881 census count

3,447

Ranked #1,325

Modern count

15,025

2016, ranked #424

Peak year

2010

15,337 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Connolly had 3,447 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,325 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,025 in 2016, ranked #424.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,844 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Connolly surname distribution map

The map shows where the Connolly surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Connolly surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Connolly over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 933 #2,966
1861 historical 1,158 #2,436
1881 historical 3,447 #1,325
1891 historical 3,695 #1,293
1901 historical 4,844 #1,164
1911 historical 4,508 #1,140
1997 modern 13,892 #438
1998 modern 14,237 #444
1999 modern 14,550 #438
2000 modern 14,337 #441
2001 modern 14,045 #439
2002 modern 14,405 #435
2003 modern 14,155 #432
2004 modern 14,135 #432
2005 modern 14,196 #425
2006 modern 14,219 #425
2007 modern 14,389 #426
2008 modern 14,493 #426
2009 modern 14,993 #424
2010 modern 15,337 #425
2011 modern 15,095 #425
2012 modern 14,767 #425
2013 modern 15,166 #423
2014 modern 15,180 #424
2015 modern 15,041 #424
2016 modern 15,025 #424

Geography

Back to top

Where Connollys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ13, IZ11, IZ12, IZ15 and Liverpool. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ13 West Dunbartonshire
2 IZ11 West Dunbartonshire
3 IZ12 West Dunbartonshire
4 IZ15 West Dunbartonshire
5 Liverpool 060 Liverpool

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Connolly

These lists show first names that appear often with the Connolly surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Connolly

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Connolly, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Connolly surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Connolly household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Connolly is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Connolly is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Connolly falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Connolly is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Connolly, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Connolly

The surname Connolly is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Conghalaigh, which means "descendant of Conghalach". Conghalach was a personal name that originated from the Irish words "con" meaning hound, and "ri" meaning king or leader.

The name Connolly is believed to have first emerged in the 5th or 6th century AD, when surnames began to be adopted by prominent families in Ireland. The Connolly clan was initially concentrated in the counties of Leinster and Munster, particularly in the regions of Offaly and Tipperary.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Connolly can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a notable figure named Conghalach Ua Ceallaigh, who was the King of Uí Failghe (a territory in modern-day County Offaly) in the late 10th century.

Among the notable bearers of the Connolly surname throughout history are:

1. John Connolly (1794-1866), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who founded the first Catholic university in the United States, the University of Notre Dame.

2. James Connolly (1868-1916), an Irish socialist leader, trade unionist, and revolutionary who was one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.

3. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974), an English literary critic and writer, best known for his work "Enemies of Promise" and his editorship of the influential literary magazine "Horizon".

4. Marc Connolly (1890-1962), an American playwright and writer, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 for his play "The Green Pastures".

5. John Connolly (born 1968), an Irish writer best known for his series of novels featuring the private investigator Charlie Parker.

The Connolly surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Connolly Station (a railway station in Dublin), and Connolly Memorial Hospital (a hospital named after James Connolly in Blanchardstown, Dublin).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Connolly families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Connolly surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 1,366 Connollys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.39x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,366 3.39x
Lanarkshire 282 2.57x
Middlesex 229 0.68x
Yorkshire 226 0.67x
Durham 185 1.83x
Midlothian 146 3.21x
Cheshire 105 1.40x
Dunbartonshire 101 11.08x
Surrey 78 0.47x
Renfrewshire 67 2.55x
Kent 55 0.48x
Northumberland 55 1.09x
Staffordshire 53 0.46x
Angus 50 1.59x
Warwickshire 46 0.54x
Royal Navy 35 8.66x
Hampshire 33 0.47x
Glamorgan 32 0.54x
Worcestershire 32 0.72x
Monmouthshire 31 1.26x
Fife 26 1.29x
Stirlingshire 26 2.08x
Essex 23 0.34x
Derbyshire 22 0.41x
Cumberland 18 0.62x
Ayrshire 13 0.51x
Northamptonshire 12 0.38x
Devon 10 0.14x
Shropshire 10 0.34x
Morayshire 9 1.71x
Channel Islands 8 0.80x
Gloucestershire 8 0.12x
Oxfordshire 7 0.33x
Perthshire 7 0.46x
Selkirkshire 7 2.28x
Inverness-shire 6 0.59x
Somerset 6 0.11x
Sussex 6 0.10x
Anglesey 5 0.83x
Carmarthenshire 5 0.35x
Kirkcudbrightshire 5 1.02x
Lincolnshire 4 0.07x
Wigtownshire 4 0.89x
Cornwall 3 0.08x
Flintshire 3 0.33x
Berkshire 2 0.08x
Buteshire 2 0.97x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.27x
Roxburghshire 2 0.33x
Denbighshire 1 0.08x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.07x
Hertfordshire 1 0.04x
Kincardineshire 1 0.24x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x
West Lothian 1 0.20x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 309 Connollys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.64x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 309 12.64x
Manchester 106 5.86x
Govan 64 2.36x
Toxteth Park 64 4.70x
Glasgow 63 3.23x
Heap 55 25.76x
Barony 54 1.95x
Everton 54 4.21x
Blackburn 52 4.86x
Oldham 51 3.93x
Kirkdale 45 6.65x
Bootle Cum Linacre 43 13.45x
Salford 43 3.63x
Ashton Under Lyne 41 4.66x
Dundee 40 3.41x
Birmingham 37 1.30x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 36 8.24x
Hulme 35 4.17x
Cumbernauld 32 64.06x
Warrington 30 6.29x
Sheffield 29 2.71x
Widnes 29 9.99x
West Calder 28 31.26x
Barrow In Furness 27 4.93x
Sunderland 27 15.15x
St Marylebone London 26 1.44x
St Pancras London 26 0.95x
Islington London 24 0.73x
Great Bolton 23 4.31x
Abergavenny 22 23.96x
Bradford 22 11.68x
Cardross 22 20.10x
Conside Knitsley 22 28.04x
Wigan 22 3.91x
Hamilton 19 6.21x
Preston 19 1.76x
Huddersfield 18 3.68x
Abbey 17 4.24x
Bonhill 17 11.62x
Dukinfield 17 4.91x
Halliwell 17 11.61x
Lambeth 17 0.57x
Newchurch 17 5.16x
Ovenden 17 11.36x
South Leith 17 3.32x
West Ham 17 1.15x
Alnwick 16 18.44x
Kidderminster Borough 16 6.17x
New Monkland 16 4.93x
Portsea 16 1.17x
Royal Navy 16 4.63x
West Derby 16 1.36x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 15 47.65x
Old Kilpatrick 15 13.93x
Bermondsey 14 1.39x
Bothwell 14 4.71x
Kirkcaldy 14 14.06x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 14 4.65x
St George In East London 14 4.39x
Wardleworth 14 6.09x
Leeds 13 0.69x
Mile End Old Town London 13 1.80x
Old Monkland 13 2.99x
Ratcliffe London 13 6.94x
Southwark St George Martyr 13 1.90x
Birkenhead 12 2.01x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 12 0.66x
West Greenock 12 2.54x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 1.72x
Crichton 11 86.82x
Crumpsall 11 11.60x
Heckmondwike 11 10.18x
Stockport 11 2.85x
Cowpen Bewley 10 87.41x
Lasswade 10 9.63x
Liscard 10 7.41x
Maryhill 10 4.66x
North Shields 10 9.93x
Otley 10 12.25x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Connolly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 323
Catherine 99
Elizabeth 82
Ellen 80
Margaret 77
Ann 64
Bridget 59
Sarah 50
Annie 43
Alice 35
Jane 32
Julia 15
Eliza 14
Kate 14
Hannah 13
Agnes 12
Anne 10
Maria 10
Rose 10
Emma 9
Susan 8
Ada 7
Fanny 7
Harriet 7
Margret 7
Winifred 7
Frances 6
Teresa 6
Isabella 5
Lucy 5
Margt. 5
Martha 5
Catharine 4
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Eleanor 4
Esther 4
Florence 4
Johanna 4
Louisa 4
Amelia 3
Bridgett 3
Caroline 3
Dora 3
Elizth. 3
Emily 3
Lizzie 3
Rebecca 3
Mabel 2
Winnifred 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Connolly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 250
James 154
Thomas 137
Patrick 104
William 85
Michael 82
Edward 39
Joseph 32
Francis 26
Peter 26
Martin 24
Daniel 23
Henry 20
George 19
Richard 18
Charles 17
Robert 16
Hugh 14
Alfred 13
Stephen 13
Andrew 12
Jeremiah 11
Thos. 11
Timothy 11
Bernard 9
Arthur 8
Jno. 8
Denis 7
Matthew 7
Nicholas 7
Owen 7
Lawrence 6
Samuel 6
Dennis 5
Frederick 5
Mark 5
Christopher 4
Cornelius 4
David 4
Herbert 4
Jas. 4
Michl. 4
Walter 4
Bridget 3
Felix 3
Harry 3
Philip 3
Simon 3
Valentine 3
Wm. 3

FAQ

Connolly surname: questions and answers

How common was the Connolly surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,447 people were recorded with the Connolly surname. That placed it at #1,325 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Connolly surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,025 in 2016. That gives Connolly a modern rank of #424.

What does the Connolly surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Conghaile, meaning "descendant of Conghal," a personal name meaning "fierce as a hound."

What does the Connolly map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Connolly bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.