Gurley
A variant on the English surname derived from a place name.
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Gurley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gurley today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurley births was 1915 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gurley is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gurleys were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gurley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1915
12 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,041
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Gurley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurley from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 36 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gurley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gurley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gurley
The name Gurley is believed to have originated from the Anglo-Saxon word "gur," which means "muddy or swampy." It is thought to have been initially used as a surname referring to someone who lived near a swampy area or a place called Gurley. The earliest known use of Gurley as a given name dates back to the 16th century in England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gurley was William Gurley, an English landowner and member of the gentry who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He owned several properties in Hertfordshire and is mentioned in various legal documents from that time period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Gurley was John Gurley, an English minister and puritan who lived from 1616 to 1679. He served as a vicar in several parishes and was known for his strict adherence to puritan principles.
During the 18th century, a prominent individual with the name Gurley was Ralph Gurley, an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. He was born in 1743 and died in 1804.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Gurley was Phineas D. Gurley, an American preacher and chaplain who served as the Chaplain of the United States Senate from 1866 to 1868. He was born in 1816 and died in 1868.
Another notable figure with the name Gurley in the 19th century was John Gurley, an American surveyor and civil engineer who was involved in the construction of several railroads and canals. He was born in 1789 and died in 1870.
While the name Gurley has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon language and was initially used as a surname, it has been adopted as a given name over the centuries. Despite its relatively uncommon usage, it has been borne by several individuals who have left their mark in various fields throughout history.
People
Gurley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gurley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Gurley a common name?
We classify Gurley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 84 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurley most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurley was 1915, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurley is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gurley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gurley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurley in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gurley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gurley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gurley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gurley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.