2000
#3,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.09
Uncommon Last name
Daily
Derived from a nickname referring to a cheerful or lively disposition, or from a place name meaning "day clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,104 Americans carry the last name Daily. That puts it at #3,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,317 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daily 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 Daily with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,317
Census rank
#3,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,555 bearers of the surname Daily in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daily, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daily
The surname DAILY originated in England and is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "daeg" meaning "day". It refers to someone who worked as a dairyman or milker of cows, denoting their daily occupation.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire, where a Walter le Dayeman was listed in 1182. This early spelling variation highlights the occupational nature of the name.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Richard le Daye in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1262 and William le Daye in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Daye, a printer and publisher in London during the 16th century. He was granted a patent by Queen Elizabeth I in 1583 to print certain types of books.
In the 17th century, the DAILY surname was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where Thomas Daily was recorded in the parish records of Slaughter in 1621.
A notable bearer of the name was Benjamin Daily (1635-1697), an English Quaker preacher and writer who traveled extensively in the American colonies, spreading the Quaker faith.
In the 18th century, the name continued to appear in various English records, such as the marriage of John Daily and Sarah Collett in Wiltshire in 1717.
A prominent figure with the DAILY surname was Sir Cavendish Daily (1769-1846), a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Admiral and was knighted for his service.
Another significant individual was William Daily (1786-1875), an English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Exchange in Manchester.
As the name spread throughout the British Isles and later to other parts of the world through immigration, variations in spelling emerged, such as Dayley, Dayly, and Dailey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daily
Among Census respondents with the surname Daily, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Daily 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 Daily surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 8,746
- Black or African American8.3% · 878
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 398
- Two or more races3.5% · 370
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daily
Daily 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
#3,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,276
+235 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#3,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,555
-721 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.53
Rank movement Down 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,004 | 11,041 | 4.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,205 | 11,276 | 3.82 | +235 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #3,339 | 10,555 | 3.53 | -721 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 134 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 Daily 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 | #3,205 | #3,339 | -4.2% |
| Count | 11,276 | 10,555 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.82 | 3.53 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daily bearers went from 11,276 to 10,555 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,205 to #3,339.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Daily
FAQ
Daily surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daily?
Name Census estimates that about 12,104 living Americans carry the surname Daily. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,317 residents.
How common is Daily?
Daily ranks #3,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,555 people with the surname Daily. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Daily.
Has Daily become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daily went from 11,276 recorded bearers to 10,555. That is a decrease of 721 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,205 to #3,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Daily?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daily, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Daily in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (8,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daily appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Daily (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 Daily mean?
Derived from a nickname referring to a cheerful or lively disposition, or from a place name meaning "day clearing." 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 Daily (3.53 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 last name Daily?
See how many Americans have the surname Daily on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.