2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dulley
A variant spelling of the English surname Dulley, derived from a nickname meaning "dull" or "stupid."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Dulley. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dulley 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 Dulley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Dulley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dulley
The surname Dulley is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English word "dole," which meant a boundary or piece of land. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a specific boundary or plot of land.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records from various counties in England. For example, in 1567, a Thomas Dulley was listed in the records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. In 1609, a John Dulley was recorded in the parish registers of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, Warwickshire.
While the Dulley surname does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are some references to place names that may have been related to the name's origin. For instance, the village of Dullingham in Cambridgeshire could have had a connection to the surname's etymology.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Sir Thomas Dulley (1614-1689), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in the late 17th century. Another prominent figure was John Dulley (1733-1808), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Tottenhall in Staffordshire.
In the 18th century, the surname can be found in various parts of England, including the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. For example, a William Dulley was born in Gloucestershire in 1754, while a Richard Dulley was born in Wiltshire in 1772.
During the 19th century, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable individual was William Dulley (1803-1879), a Scottish architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Glasgow. Another was John Dulley (1845-1923), an Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples provide a glimpse into the history and geographic spread of the Dulley surname over several centuries. The name's origins can be traced back to England, where it likely referred to a specific boundary or piece of land, and it has since been carried by individuals in various professions and locations around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dulley
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dulley 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 Dulley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 95
- Black or African American15.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dulley
Dulley 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,715 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,800 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,715 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 13,800 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 Dulley 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 | #128,249 | #142,049 | -10.8% |
| Count | 133 | 120 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dulley bearers went from 133 to 120 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 13,800 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #142,049.
FAQ
Dulley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dulley?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Dulley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Dulley?
Dulley ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Dulley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dulley.
Has Dulley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dulley went from 133 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Dulley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Dulley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dulley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (15.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Dulley (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 Dulley mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Dulley, derived from a nickname meaning "dull" or "stupid." 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 Dulley (0.04 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 Dulley?
Find out how many people are called Dulley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.