2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Canley
A habitational surname derived from the town of Canley in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Canley. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canley 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 Canley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Canley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Two or More Races (13.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canley
The surname Canley originated in England, with its earliest known references dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "canu" and "leah," meaning "cane" and "clearing" or "meadow," respectively. It likely referred to an area where reeds or canes grew abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1195, where a person named Radulfus de Canlegh is mentioned. This suggests that the surname may have originated from a place name, possibly referring to the village of Canley, now a suburb of Coventry.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Canleye, Canlega, and Canlegh, reflecting the variations in spelling during that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list a Richard de Canleye from Buckinghamshire, providing further evidence of the name's early use.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Canley. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Candelesby in Lincolnshire and Candelan in Shropshire, suggesting that the name may have originated from one of these locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Canley include:
1. John Canley (c. 1420 - 1486), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Warwick during the reign of Henry VI.
2. William Canley (1575 - 1636), a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local churches and schools.
3. Elizabeth Canley (1621 - 1692), an English Quaker and early settler in Pennsylvania, who was instrumental in establishing the first Quaker meeting house in Philadelphia.
4. James Canley (1789 - 1857), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent advocate for sailors' rights.
5. Henry Canley (1838 - 1911), an American Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army and later became a successful businessman and philanthropist in his hometown of Canley, Ohio.
While the surname Canley is not among the most common in English-speaking countries today, its rich history and varied origins reflect the diverse backgrounds and settlements that have contributed to the tapestry of surnames in the English language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canley
Among Census respondents with the surname Canley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Two or More Races (13.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Canley 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 Canley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.2% · 59
- White20.7% · 23
- Two or more races13.5% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canley
Canley 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+14 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,558 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-30 bearers (-21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,558 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-21.3%) | Down 26,351 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 Canley 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 | #122,314 | #148,665 | -21.5% |
| Count | 141 | 111 | -21.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canley bearers went from 141 to 111 (-21.3% change). The surname moved down 26,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #148,665.
FAQ
Canley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canley?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Canley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Canley?
Canley ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Canley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Canley.
Has Canley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canley went from 141 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 30 (-21.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Canley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.7%) and Two or More Races (13.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Canley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (59 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.2%), White (20.7%), Two or More Races (13.5%). 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 Canley (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 Canley mean?
A habitational surname derived from the town of Canley in England. 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 Canley (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 Canley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.