2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arkley
An English habitational surname referring to someone from Arkley, a location in Hertfordshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Arkley. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arkley 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 Arkley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Arkley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arkley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arkley
The surname Arkley originates from England and is believed to have first appeared in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "earc" meaning "ark" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow", suggesting that the name may have been initially used to refer to someone who lived near an area of cleared land.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327, which lists a William de Arkelay. The de Arkelay spelling indicates that the name was likely associated with a specific location or manor at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Arkeley, Arkelay, and Arkelaye, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common before standardization. These variations may have been influenced by the pronunciation of the name in different regions of England.
The Arkley surname is also linked to several place names in England, including Arkley in Hertfordshire and Arkley Lane in Berkshire. These place names likely predate the surname and may have contributed to its origins.
Notable individuals with the surname Arkley include:
1. John Arkley (c. 1500 - 1570), an English Member of Parliament who represented Worcestershire in the Parliament of 1553.
2. Thomas Arkley (1675 - 1738), a British merchant and plantation owner in Jamaica.
3. Samuel Arkley (1718 - 1795), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
4. William Arkley (1798 - 1872), a British architect known for his designs of numerous churches and public buildings in London.
5. James Arkley (1825 - 1901), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Arkley Charity Trust.
While the Arkley surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals and families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arkley
Among Census respondents with the surname Arkley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arkley 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 Arkley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arkley
Arkley 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,612 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,612 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Arkley 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arkley bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Arkley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arkley?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Arkley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Arkley?
Arkley ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Arkley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arkley.
Has Arkley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arkley went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Arkley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arkley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arkley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arkley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Arkley (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 Arkley mean?
An English habitational surname referring to someone from Arkley, a location in Hertfordshire. 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 Arkley (0.04 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 Arkley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.