2000
#7,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,232
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Rare Last name
Danley
Derived from a place name meaning "meadow clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,416 Americans carry the last name Danley. That puts it at #8,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danley 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 Danley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,616
Census rank
#8,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,851 bearers of the surname Danley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danley
The surname Danley originates from England, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Daneley or Danley, which was likely a small village or hamlet in one of the English counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1195, where it appears as "de Daneleye." This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have originated from a place with a name similar to "Daneley" or "Daneley."
The name Danley is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dene," meaning a valley, and "ley," signifying a clearing or meadow. Thus, the name could have referred to someone who lived in a valley clearing or a meadow-like area.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1268, where it is recorded as "Daneleye." This demonstrates the spread of the name across different regions of England.
One notable figure bearing the Danley surname was Sir John Danley, a prominent knight who lived during the 14th century. He fought alongside Edward, the Black Prince, in the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, the name is found in the records of the Parish of St. Mary's in Gloucestershire, where a certain William Danley is mentioned in the baptismal register from 1578.
Another historical figure of note was Thomas Danley, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 17th century. He served as a Justice of the Peace and was a landowner in the county of Wiltshire.
During the 18th century, the Danley family had established a presence in various parts of England, with records showing members of the family in counties such as Dorset, Somerset, and Yorkshire.
One notable bearer of the name from this period was Robert Danley, a successful merchant and entrepreneur who lived in Bristol in the late 1700s. He was involved in the transatlantic trade and amassed considerable wealth.
As the centuries progressed, the Danley surname continued to spread across England and beyond, with some members of the family emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danley
Among Census respondents with the surname Danley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Danley 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 Danley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 3,150
- Black or African American10.3% · 395
- Two or more races4.1% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danley
Danley 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
#7,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,420
+188 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#8,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,851
-569 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,267 | 4,232 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,528 | 4,420 | 1.50 | +188 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #8,239 | 3,851 | 1.29 | -569 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 711 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 Danley 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 | #7,528 | #8,239 | -9.4% |
| Count | 4,420 | 3,851 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.29 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danley bearers went from 4,420 to 3,851 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 711 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,528 to #8,239.
FAQ
Danley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,416 living Americans carry the surname Danley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,616 residents.
How common is Danley?
Danley ranks #8,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,851 people with the surname Danley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Danley.
Has Danley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danley went from 4,420 recorded bearers to 3,851. That is a decrease of 569 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,528 to #8,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Danley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Danley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (3,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Danley (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 Danley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "meadow clearing" in Old English. 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 Danley (1.29 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 Danley?
Find out how many people have the surname Danley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.