NameCensus.

UK surname

Oneil

A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Niall," an Irish name meaning "champion."

In the 1881 census there were 5,219 people recorded with the Oneil surname, ranking it #852 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,627, ranked #1,471, down from #852 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South, Gateshead and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oneil is 5,219 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.3%.

1881 census count

5,219

Ranked #852

Modern count

4,627

2016, ranked #1,471

Peak year

1881

5,219 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oneil had 5,219 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #852 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,627 in 2016, ranked #1,471.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,219 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Oneil surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Oneil surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oneil 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 2,092 #1,391
1861 historical 2,896 #1,000
1881 historical 5,219 #852
1891 historical 4,966 #945
1901 historical 5,115 #1,098
1911 historical 2,518 #2,035
1997 modern 4,138 #1,563
1998 modern 4,244 #1,581
1999 modern 4,328 #1,565
2000 modern 4,325 #1,554
2001 modern 4,186 #1,568
2002 modern 4,310 #1,560
2003 modern 4,228 #1,561
2004 modern 4,273 #1,547
2005 modern 4,271 #1,526
2006 modern 4,330 #1,513
2007 modern 4,403 #1,503
2008 modern 4,476 #1,492
2009 modern 4,604 #1,482
2010 modern 4,828 #1,444
2011 modern 4,656 #1,479
2012 modern 4,555 #1,483
2013 modern 4,683 #1,464
2014 modern 4,703 #1,469
2015 modern 4,643 #1,472
2016 modern 4,627 #1,471

Geography

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Where Oneils are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South, Gateshead, Copeland, Halton and Carlisle. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South South Ayrshire
2 Gateshead 012 Gateshead
3 Copeland 005 Copeland
4 Halton 003 Halton
5 Carlisle 009 Carlisle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oneil

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oneil

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Oneil, 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 Oneil surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Oneil 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, Oneil 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

Oneil 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

Oneil 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 Oneil is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Oneil

The surname ONEIL is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Ó Néill, meaning "descendant of Neill." It originated in the 5th century AD with the Cenél nEógain clan, one of the two main branches of the Northern Uí Néill dynasty that dominated parts of Ireland until the 17th century.

The name traces its roots to Niall Noígiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a legendary High King of Ireland who ruled in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. He is said to have taken hostages from rival kingdoms, leading to his epithet "of the Nine Hostages."

The ONEIL surname first appeared in written records in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1022, the death of Flaithbhertach Ua Néill, King of Ailech, is recorded.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Muircheartach Ua Néill (1050-1166), a King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain who fought against the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century.

The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that some ONEILs may have migrated to England in the aftermath of the Norman conquest of Ireland.

A notable figure in Irish history was Hugh O'Neill (1550-1616), Earl of Tyrone, who led the Irish rebellion against English rule in the Nine Years' War (1594-1603). He was ultimately forced into exile in Rome after his defeat.

Another prominent ONEIL was John O'Neill (1786-1838), a United Irishman and revolutionary who took part in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule. He later fled to the United States and became a prominent figure in the Irish American community.

Other notable individuals with the surname ONEIL include Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), the American playwright and Nobel laureate known for works such as "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh," and Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972), the former NBA superstar and one of the most dominant players in basketball history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Oneil families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oneil 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. Lanarkshire leads with 820 Oneils recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.65x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 820 8.65x
Lancashire 585 1.68x
Durham 201 2.30x
Renfrewshire 184 8.10x
Middlesex 128 0.44x
Yorkshire 115 0.40x
Midlothian 113 2.88x
Cumberland 92 3.64x
Angus 79 2.91x
Kent 60 0.60x
Glamorgan 57 1.12x
Staffordshire 51 0.52x
Northumberland 50 1.15x
Dunbartonshire 43 5.46x
Ayrshire 41 1.87x
Surrey 37 0.26x
Cheshire 34 0.53x
Stirlingshire 30 2.77x
Dumfriesshire 23 3.55x
Wigtownshire 23 5.91x
Essex 21 0.36x
Monmouthshire 20 0.94x
Flintshire 16 2.03x
Derbyshire 14 0.31x
Devon 14 0.23x
Aberdeenshire 13 0.48x
Herefordshire 13 1.08x
Hampshire 12 0.20x
Denbighshire 11 0.99x
Sussex 10 0.20x
Warwickshire 10 0.14x
Gloucestershire 9 0.16x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 2.12x
West Lothian 8 1.81x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.57x
Channel Islands 7 0.81x
Fife 6 0.35x
Royal Navy 5 1.43x
Argyllshire 4 0.49x
Cornwall 3 0.09x
Isle of Man 3 0.55x
Perthshire 3 0.23x
Roxburghshire 3 0.56x
Somerset 3 0.06x
Clackmannanshire 2 0.83x
Inverness-shire 2 0.23x
Northamptonshire 2 0.07x
Shropshire 2 0.08x
Anglesey 1 0.19x
Buteshire 1 0.56x
East Lothian 1 0.26x
Hertfordshire 1 0.05x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.15x
Peeblesshire 1 0.73x
Selkirkshire 1 0.38x
Westmorland 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 216 Oneils recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.00x.

Place Total Index
Barony 216 9.00x
Govan 196 8.36x
Glasgow 141 8.37x
Liverpool 132 6.25x
Bothwell 62 24.11x
Barrow In Furness 54 11.41x
Manchester 52 3.32x
Gateshead 48 7.35x
Dundee 43 4.24x
Maryhill 38 20.47x
West Greenock 35 8.58x
Abbey 34 9.81x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 33 2.09x
Everton 32 2.89x
St Marylebone London 30 1.92x
Port Glasgow 29 26.40x
Cambusnethan 28 13.29x
Toxteth Park 27 2.29x
New Monkland 26 9.27x
Wigan 26 5.35x
Walsall Foreign 25 4.89x
Cleator 24 22.84x
Eastwood 23 16.43x
Blantyre 22 22.28x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 22 5.82x
Stirling 22 16.13x
Kilbarchan 21 30.42x
Ashton Under Lyne 20 2.63x
Stockton On Tees 19 4.52x
Great Bolton 18 3.91x
West Derby 18 1.77x
Hamilton 17 6.43x
Islington London 17 0.60x
Merthyr Tydfil 17 3.46x
Oldham 17 1.51x
Preston 16 1.72x
Rutherglen 16 11.50x
Chorlton On Medlock 15 2.71x
Birkenhead 14 2.71x
Bonhill 14 11.07x
Brechin 14 13.11x
Linthorpe 14 8.07x
Whitehaven 14 10.40x
Caldewgate 13 9.40x
Edinburgh Canongate 13 13.00x
Liff Benvie 13 3.15x
Dumbarton 12 10.94x
Heworth 12 6.98x
Iveston 12 29.86x
Kimblesworth 12 102.83x
Kirkdale 12 2.05x
Lochwinnoch 12 35.43x
South Leith 12 2.71x
St George In East 12 6.02x
West Ham 12 0.94x
Conside Knitsley 11 16.22x
Plymouth St Andrew 11 2.34x
Shotts 11 9.69x
Auckinleck 10 14.72x
Bootle Cum Linacre 10 3.62x
Bradford 10 1.42x
Bury 10 2.52x
Carluke 10 11.61x
Crossgate 10 26.22x
Mile End Old Town 10 2.16x
Old Monkland 10 2.66x
Woolwich 10 2.71x
Wrexham Regis 10 12.16x
Bermondsey 9 1.03x
Charlton Next Woolwich 9 8.63x
Edinburgh Old 9 37.75x
Faversham 9 9.43x
Hereford St Martin 9 61.81x
Hoddam 9 57.66x
Ince In Makerfield 9 5.56x
Leeds 9 0.55x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 3.45x
Swansea Town 9 2.15x
West Calder 9 11.62x
Cambuslang 8 8.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 187
Margaret 68
Catherine 56
Elizabeth 43
Bridget 41
Ellen 37
Ann 34
Jane 28
Sarah 23
Annie 19
Eliza 18
Alice 12
Kate 12
Julia 11
Hannah 10
Maria 10
Agnes 7
Rose 7
Catharine 6
Emma 6
Isabella 6
Anne 4
Harriet 4
Martha 4
Matilda 4
Teresa 4
Emily 3
Fanny 3
Frances 3
Winifred 3
Amelia 2
Cathrine 2
Cecilia 2
Charlotte 2
Eliz. 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Florence 2
Honora 2
Johannah 2
Margeret 2
Margt. 2
Rebecca 2
Rosannah 2
Ruth 2
Susan 2
Susannah 2
Elisabeth 1
Elizth.J. 1
Harriett 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 155
James 109
Patrick 73
Thomas 69
William 44
Edward 31
Henry 31
Michael 30
Charles 26
Joseph 18
Hugh 17
Daniel 15
Francis 12
George 12
Robert 11
Bernard 9
Owen 9
Richard 9
Peter 7
Arthur 6
Martin 6
Andrew 5
Frank 5
Timothy 5
Anthony 4
David 3
Felix 3
Jno. 3
Nicholas 3
Philip 3
Samuel 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Alfred 2
Ambrose 2
Casmi 2
Con 2
Cornelius 2
Denis 2
Dennis 2
Edwd. 2
Eugene 2
Harry 2
Jas. 2
Jeremiah 2
Micheal 2
Carney 1
Edwin 1
F.A. 1

FAQ

Oneil surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oneil surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,219 people were recorded with the Oneil surname. That placed it at #852 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oneil surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,627 in 2016. That gives Oneil a modern rank of #1,471.

What does the Oneil surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of Niall," an Irish name meaning "champion."

What does the Oneil map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Oneil 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.