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

Buckley, 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 Buckley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buckley in America

Buckley is the 834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buckley surname appeared 41,348 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Buckley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buckley 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 Buckley

The surname Buckley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name Bucca, a diminutive of Buc, meaning "buck" or "male deer." The name likely originated from areas around Buckley in Flintshire, Wales, and Buckley in Northamptonshire, England.

Buckley can also be traced back to the Old English word "boc-leah," meaning a meadow or clearing frequented by bucks or male deer. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near such a clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buckley surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landholder named Bucheli in Essex, England. This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.

In the 13th century, the Buckley surname appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a Robert de Buckeley in Oxfordshire. The "de" prefix indicates the name was originally a place name before becoming a hereditary surname.

Notable individuals bearing the Buckley surname include:

1. William Buckley (c. 1776-1856), an English convict who escaped and lived with Aboriginal Australians for over 30 years.
2. Edmund Buckley (1684-1735), an English clergyman and author known for his work on ancient geography.
3. Arabella Buckley (1840-1929), an English writer and popularizer of science who authored several influential children's books.
4. William Edward Buckley (1857-1910), an American politician who served as the 21st Governor of Connecticut.
5. Edgar Buckley (1864-1912), an English-born Australian poet and journalist known for his work in promoting Australian literature.

The Buckley surname has been widely dispersed throughout the English-speaking world, with many variants and spellings emerging over time, such as Buckly, Bukley, and Buckeley. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its Old English beginnings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buckley

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

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

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

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