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

Atchley, 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 Atchley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Atchley in America

Atchley is the 5617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Atchley surname appeared 6,187 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Atchley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Atchley 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 Atchley

The surname ATCHLEY has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the old English word "aecer" meaning "field" or "acre," and the suffix "-ley" meaning "a clearing or meadow." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where people lived or worked near a field or clearing.

Early records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, which lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Acherlay and Achelie. These early spellings reflect the evolution of the name over time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ATCHLEY was William Atchley, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Another notable individual was John Atchley, a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

In the 16th century, the surname ATCHLEY began to appear more frequently in parish records across various counties in England. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Atchley, a merchant from Bristol, who was born in 1542 and played a significant role in the city's trade with the Americas.

During the 17th century, the ATCHLEY surname spread beyond England, with some bearers of the name emigrating to the American colonies. One such individual was Richard Atchley, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1620 and settled in Virginia in the 1640s.

In the 18th century, the ATCHLEY surname continued to be found in various parts of England, as well as in the American colonies. One notable individual was John Atchley, a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada.

As time progressed, the ATCHLEY surname continued to spread across the globe, with bearers of the name making significant contributions in various fields, including politics, literature, and science. For example, Clair Atchley was an American author and journalist who lived from 1895 to 1973, and Edward Atchley was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the 1950s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Atchley

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

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 Atchley 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 Atchley 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 Atchley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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