2000
#15,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Costley
Of English origin, a surname derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,027 Americans carry the last name Costley. That puts it at #15,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Costley 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 Costley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,094
Census rank
#15,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,768 bearers of the surname Costley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Costley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Costley
Among Census respondents with the surname Costley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Costley 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 Costley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 1,176
- Black or African American20.6% · 365
- Two or more races7.2% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Costley
Costley 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
#15,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,841
+108 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#15,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,768
-73 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,509 | 1,733 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,818 | 1,841 | 0.62 | +108 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #15,866 | 1,768 | 0.59 | -73 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 48 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 Costley 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 | #15,818 | #15,866 | -0.3% |
| Count | 1,841 | 1,768 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.59 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Costley bearers went from 1,841 to 1,768 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,818 to #15,866.
FAQ
Costley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Costley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,027 living Americans carry the surname Costley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,094 residents.
How common is Costley?
Costley ranks #15,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,768 people with the surname Costley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,027), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Costley.
Has Costley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Costley went from 1,841 recorded bearers to 1,768. That is a decrease of 73 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,818 to #15,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Costley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Costley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Costley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (1,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Costley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Costley (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 Costley mean?
Of English origin, a surname derived from a place name or location. 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 Costley (0.59 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 are called Costley?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Costley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.