2000
#5,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Cawley
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a callow youth or an inexperienced person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,900 Americans carry the last name Cawley. That puts it at #6,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cawley 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 Cawley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,094
Census rank
#6,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,145 bearers of the surname Cawley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cawley
The surname Cawley has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'calu' and 'leah,' which together translate to 'bare or bald clearing.' This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived near a treeless or sparsely vegetated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Calewei.' This entry pertains to a location in Staffordshire, which lends credence to the theory that the surname originated from a place name.
In the 13th century, records mention a Robert de Caleweye, who lived in Cheshire during the reign of King Henry III. This spelling variation further reinforces the name's connection to a geographical location.
During the 14th century, the surname began to take on its more modern form, with references to individuals such as William Cawley, who resided in Derbyshire in 1332.
Notable historical figures bearing the Cawley surname include Sir William Cawley (1602-1677), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1665 to 1666. Another prominent individual was Reverend William Cawley (1778-1858), an English clergyman and author who published works on theology and church history.
In the 19th century, John Cawley (1822-1898) gained recognition as a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Liverpool, including the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch.
Other notable individuals with the Cawley surname include James Cawley (1914-2005), an American television producer and director known for his work on the popular sitcom "The Honeymooners," and Daniel Cawley (1780-1859), an Irish banker and entrepreneur who co-founded the Provincial Bank of Ireland.
While the name may have originated from a specific geographical location in England, it has since spread across various regions and cultures, with individuals bearing the Cawley surname making significant contributions in diverse fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cawley
Among Census respondents with the surname Cawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cawley 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 Cawley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 4,502
- Black or African American4.4% · 225
- Two or more races3.5% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cawley
Cawley 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
#6,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,451
+81 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 368 places
2020
#6,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,145
-306 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,900 | 5,370 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,268 | 5,451 | 1.85 | +81 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 368 places |
| 2020 | #6,358 | 5,145 | 1.72 | -306 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 90 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 Cawley 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 | #6,268 | #6,358 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,451 | 5,145 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.72 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cawley bearers went from 5,451 to 5,145 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,268 to #6,358.
FAQ
Cawley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cawley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,900 living Americans carry the surname Cawley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,094 residents.
How common is Cawley?
Cawley ranks #6,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,145 people with the surname Cawley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cawley.
Has Cawley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cawley went from 5,451 recorded bearers to 5,145. That is a decrease of 306 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,268 to #6,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Cawley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cawley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (4,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cawley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Cawley (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 Cawley mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a callow youth or an inexperienced person. 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 Cawley (1.72 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 common is the surname Cawley?
You can see how many people have the surname Cawley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.