Find out how popular the last name Aley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aley.

Aley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aley in America

Aley is the 39352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aley surname appeared 559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Aley

The surname Aley is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Shropshire. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "alor," meaning an alder tree, or from the place name "Alresford," a town in Hampshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Alri." This suggests that the name has been in use since at least the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Alrey," "Alray," and "Ayleye." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the name Aley was Sir John Aley, a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the late 15th century. He was born around 1440 and died in 1520.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Richard Aley, a Puritan minister and theologian who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries. He was born in Shropshire in 1559 and served as the Vicar of Winkfield in Berkshire.

In the 17th century, the name Aley was associated with the village of Alley Green in Shropshire, which was formerly known as "Aley Green." This suggests a connection between the surname and this particular location.

During the 18th century, a notable figure was Samuel Aley, a mathematician and astronomer born in Shropshire in 1703. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and published several works on astronomical subjects.

In the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Aley was William Aley, an English architect and surveyor. He was born in 1816 in Shropshire and is known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the region.

Despite its English origins, the surname Aley has spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, possibly due to immigration from England in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aley, please contact us.

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