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

Costley, 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 Costley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Costley in America

Costley is the 15818th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Costley surname appeared 1,841 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 Costley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Costley 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 Costley

The surname Costley has its origins in the northern English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English words "coste" meaning a cottage or small dwelling, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a cottage or small homestead in a meadow or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Costley appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1188, where a Richard de Costeley is mentioned. The name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, listing a John Costeley.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms such as Costeley, Costley, and Costeley in records from Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is believed that the variant spellings arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spellings of the time.

The Costley surname can be traced back to several place names in northern England, including Costley in Lancashire and Costley Green in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words that formed the basis of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Costley include:

1. Thomas Costley (c. 1540 - 1605), an English composer and lutenist who served in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. John Costley (c. 1620 - 1701), an English clergyman and writer who published several religious works.
3. William Costley (1678 - 1765), a British merchant and landowner who owned estates in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
4. Elizabeth Costley (1731 - 1808), an English novelist and playwright known for her works "The Coquette" and "The Jealous Wife."
5. Sir George Costley (1810 - 1887), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and was knighted for his service.

The Costley surname continues to be found in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties where it originated, as well as in other parts of the United Kingdom and countries with historical British connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Costley

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

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

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

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