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

Athey, 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 Athey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Athey in America

Athey is the 9736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Athey surname appeared 3,329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Athey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Athey 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 Athey

The surname Athey has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ætt," meaning "at the" or "near the," and the Old English word "hæth," meaning "heathland" or "uncultivated land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a heath or area of uncultivated land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Athey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name is spelled as "Atti," which is likely an early variation of the modern spelling.

During the 13th century, the surname Athey began to appear in various historical records across England. In 1273, a record from the Hundred Rolls, a census-like survey of land ownership, mentions a "William Atteheth" from Lincolnshire. This spelling variation, "Atteheth," provides further evidence of the name's connection to the Old English words for "at the" and "heath."

Notable individuals with the surname Athey throughout history include:

1. Robert Athey (c. 1570 - 1640), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Eastlow, Cornwall, in the early 17th century.

2. John Athey (c. 1598 - 1659), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland during the mid-17th century.

3. Elizabeth Athey (c. 1640 - 1707), an English Quaker preacher and activist who was arrested and imprisoned multiple times for her religious activities in the late 17th century.

4. Thomas Athey (1762 - 1839), an English landscape painter and engraver known for his topographical views of various regions in England.

5. William Athey (1830 - 1912), a British railway engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam locomotive design in the late 19th century.

While the surname Athey has roots in England dating back to the 11th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through the process of immigration and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Athey

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

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

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

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