Culey last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Culey

A locational surname derived from the place name Culey in Normandy, France.

Culey, 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 Culey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Culey in America

Culey is the 147253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Culey surname appeared 112 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Culey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Culey 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.

	2010	2000	Change (%)
Rank	147253	121780	18.94%
Count	112	131	-15.64%
Proportion per 100k	0.04	0.05	-22.22%

The history of the last name Culey

The surname Culey originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old French word "coulee," meaning a small stream or rivulet. It is believed to have been an occupational name for someone who lived near or worked with a small stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Culey can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a John Culey from Oxfordshire. There are also references to a Walter Culey in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1317.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Cooley, Cowley, and Culley, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Culey spelling seems to have been more prevalent in the southern counties of England, particularly in Dorset and Somerset.

The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not include any direct references to the name Culey. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Cowley in Oxfordshire and Culley in Norfolk.

One notable individual with the surname Culey was John Culey, a merchant and alderman of Bristol who lived in the late 15th century. Another was Sir Hugh Culey, a landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the early 17th century (c. 1600-1670).

Other historical figures with the Culey surname include:

William Culey (c. 1530-1599), a prominent English clergyman and author.
Thomas Culey (c. 1640-1712), a merchant and shipowner from Bristol, known for his involvement in the West Indies trade.
Mary Culey (c. 1670-1745), a philanthropist and benefactor who established several charitable institutions in Somerset.
Richard Culey (c. 1720-1789), a military officer who served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War.
Elizabeth Culey (c. 1780-1853), a renowned author and poet from Dorset, known for her works celebrating the beauty of the English countryside.

While the surname Culey is not as common today as it once was, it continues to hold a place in the historic records and genealogical histories of England, reflecting the country's rich linguistic and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Culey

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

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:

White only
Black only
American Indian and Alaskan Native only
Asian and Pacific Islander only
Hispanic
Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Culey was:

Race/Ethnicity	Percentage	Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only	91.96%	103
Non-Hispanic Black Only	4.46%	5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only	0.00%	0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native	(S)%	(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races	(S)%	(S)
Hispanic Origin	(S)%	(S)

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 Culey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

	2010	2000	Change (%)
White	91.96%	87.79%	4.64%
Black	4.46%	8.40%	-61.28%
Asian and Pacific Islander	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	(S)%	(S)%	(S)%
Two or More Races	(S)%	(S)%	(S)%
Hispanic	(S)%	0.00%	(S)%

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

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

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