2000
#19,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Ally
A surname originating from the Middle English 'aleye' meaning a path or passageway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,167 Americans carry the last name Ally. That puts it at #15,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ally surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ally with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,170
Census rank
#15,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,890 bearers of the surname Ally in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ally, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.0%) and Black (24.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ally
The surname ALLY has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'ailleadh', meaning 'rocky place' or 'cliff', suggesting that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near such geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ALLY can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century, where a person named 'John de Aly' was mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 15th century, the name ALLY appeared in several historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such person was 'Johannes Alye', hinting at the name's continued use and adaptation.
The ALLY surname has been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as Allynbank in Aberdeenshire and Allyth in Perthshire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development and spread across the region.
Notable individuals with the surname ALLY include Sir William Allye (1512-1570), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Another prominent figure was John Ally (1826-1894), a Scottish-born businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ALLY surname was found in various parts of Scotland, as evidenced by records from Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, and Ayrshire. This suggests that the name had become well-established across the country by that time.
In the 18th century, the ALLY surname gained recognition with the birth of John Alley (1737-1806), a Scottish-American merchant and politician who served as the fourth Governor of Connecticut. His surname's spelling variation highlights the ongoing evolution of the name.
Throughout the centuries, the ALLY surname has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, politicians, and military personnel. One notable example is Colonel William Ally (1827-1893), a Scottish-born officer in the British Army who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ally
Among Census respondents with the surname Ally, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.0%) and Black (24.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ally bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ally surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.7% · 656
- White25.0% · 473
- Black or African American24.1% · 456
- Two or more races8.3% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ally
Ally appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#17,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,653
+353 bearers (+27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 2,143 places
2020
#15,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,890
+237 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 2,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,285 | 1,300 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,142 | 1,653 | 0.56 | +353 bearers (+27.2%) | Up 2,143 places |
| 2020 | #15,010 | 1,890 | 0.63 | +237 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 2,132 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ally surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,142 | #15,010 | 12.4% |
| Count | 1,653 | 1,890 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.63 | 12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ally bearers went from 1,653 to 1,890 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 2,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,142 to #15,010.
FAQ
Ally surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ally?
Name Census estimates that about 2,167 living Americans carry the surname Ally. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,170 residents.
How common is Ally?
Ally ranks #15,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,890 people with the surname Ally. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ally.
Has Ally become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ally went from 1,653 recorded bearers to 1,890. That is an increase of 237 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,142 to #15,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Ally?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ally, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.7%. The next largest groups are White (25.0%) and Black (24.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ally in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.7% (656 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ally appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.7%), White (25.0%), Black (24.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ally (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ally mean?
A surname originating from the Middle English 'aleye' meaning a path or passageway. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ally (0.63 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ally?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.