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

Duley, 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 Duley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duley in America

Duley is the 12296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duley surname appeared 2,528 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 Duley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duley 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 Duley

The surname Duley is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill or down, and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. Together, these elements suggest that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a meadow near a hill or down.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "de Dunlega", which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Duley.

During the 13th century, there are records of a family with the surname Duley residing in the village of Duley, located in the county of Wiltshire. This village likely took its name from the same Old English words that gave rise to the surname, suggesting a strong connection between the place name and the family name.

Notable individuals with the surname Duley throughout history include:

1. Sir John Duley (c. 1450-1516), an English soldier and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VII.
2. Thomas Duley (1572-1633), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Bradwell-juxta-Mare in Essex.
3. Mary Duley (1677-1757), an English Quaker writer and preacher who published several religious tracts and journals.
4. Samuel Duley (1720-1790), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. William Duley (1798-1874), an English businessman and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the development of his hometown of Huddersfield.

Other variations of the spelling of the surname include Duly, Dooley, and Dowley, all of which share a similar etymology and origin in England. The name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, but its roots can be traced back to the hills and meadows of medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!