Show ContentsNalls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Nalls was Mac an Fhailghigh, which is derived from the word failgheach, which means poor man.

Early Origins of the Nalls family

The surname Nalls was first found in counties Armagh and Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán) located in the Northern part of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Nalls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nalls research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1653, 1680 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Nalls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nalls Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Nalls dating from that time include McNally, McAnully, McAnalley, McAnally and others.

Early Notables of the Nalls family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nalls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nalls Ranking

In the United States, the name Nalls is the 11,812nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Nalls migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Nalls family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Nalls Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Oscar Nalls, aged 25, arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Saratoga" from Havana, Cuba [2]
  • Boubou Nalls, aged 32, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Eole" from Nantes, France [2]
  • Charles Nalls, aged 34, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Imperator" from Southampton, England [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Nalls (post 1700) +

  • Jimmy Nalls (1951-2017), American guitarist
  • Gayil Nalls (b. 1953), American interdisciplinary artist and theorist
  • Arthur L. "Art" Nalls Jr. (b. 1954), American retired United States Marine Corps officer, test pilot, and air show business owner; he owns two Harrier jump jets
  • Linda M. Nalls, American politician, Mayor of Mt. Rainier, Maryland, 1977-83, 1991-95


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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