2000
#12,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Duley
Derived from a place name meaning "dwell by the wood" in Old English, referring to the bearer's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,306 Americans carry the last name Duley. That puts it at #14,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,636 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duley 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 Duley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,636
Census rank
#14,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,011 bearers of the surname Duley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duley
Among Census respondents with the surname Duley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Duley 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 Duley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 1,719
- Black or African American6.9% · 138
- Two or more races4.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duley
Duley 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
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,528
+220 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#14,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
-517 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 2,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,347 | 2,308 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,296 | 2,528 | 0.86 | +220 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #14,316 | 2,011 | 0.67 | -517 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 2,020 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 Duley 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 | #12,296 | #14,316 | -16.4% |
| Count | 2,528 | 2,011 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.67 | -21.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duley bearers went from 2,528 to 2,011 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 2,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,296 to #14,316.
FAQ
Duley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,306 living Americans carry the surname Duley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,636 residents.
How common is Duley?
Duley ranks #14,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,011 people with the surname Duley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Duley.
Has Duley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duley went from 2,528 recorded bearers to 2,011. That is a decrease of 517 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,296 to #14,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Duley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Duley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (1,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (6.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Duley (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 Duley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dwell by the wood" in Old English, referring to the bearer's residence. 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 Duley (0.67 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 Duley?
Find out how many people are called Duley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.