2000
#2,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,902
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.89
Uncommon Last name
Easley
Derived from a place name meaning "east clearing" or "east wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,599 Americans carry the last name Easley. That puts it at #2,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Easley 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 Easley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,476
Census rank
#2,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,347 bearers of the surname Easley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Easley, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Easley
The surname Easley has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "east" and "leah," which collectively refer to a meadow or woodland clearing located to the east. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals residing in such areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Easley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "de Estleia." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, as regional dialects and phonetic shifts influenced its written form.
During the 13th century, the name Easley appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273, which mentions a William de Estleye. This document serves as a valuable source for tracing the geographical distribution of the name within England.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Easley. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Eastleigh in Hampshire and Eastley in Northamptonshire.
Over the centuries, the Easley surname has been associated with notable individuals in various fields. One such figure was Sir Ralph Easley (c. 1500-1580), a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held the position of High Sheriff of Northamptonshire.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was John Easley (1777-1834), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 12th Governor of Missouri from 1833 to 1834.
In the realm of literature, William Easley (1851-1926), an American author and poet, gained recognition for his works, including "The Trumpet of the West" and "Songs of Old Valor and Victory."
The name Easley has also been associated with places, such as the town of Easley in South Carolina, which was named after Gideon Riley Easley (1788-1848), a local landowner and community leader.
Furthermore, the Easley family has left its mark on history through individuals like Brigadier General Claudius Easley (1904-1987), a highly decorated United States Army officer who served during World War II and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery.
These examples serve to illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the surname Easley, which has endured for centuries and continues to be carried by individuals worldwide.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Easley
Among Census respondents with the surname Easley, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Easley 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 Easley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.6% · 8,998
- Black or African American30.4% · 4,665
- Two or more races5.8% · 896
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 511
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Easley
Easley 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
#2,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,459
+557 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 5.58
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#2,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,347
-1,112 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,094 | 15,902 | 5.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,212 | 16,459 | 5.58 | +557 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #2,317 | 15,347 | 5.13 | -1,112 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 105 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 Easley 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 | #2,212 | #2,317 | -4.7% |
| Count | 16,459 | 15,347 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.58 | 5.13 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Easley bearers went from 16,459 to 15,347 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,212 to #2,317.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Easley
FAQ
Easley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Easley?
Name Census estimates that about 17,599 living Americans carry the surname Easley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,476 residents.
How common is Easley?
Easley ranks #2,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,347 people with the surname Easley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,599), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Easley.
Has Easley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Easley went from 16,459 recorded bearers to 15,347. That is a decrease of 1,112 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,212 to #2,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Easley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Easley, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Easley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.6% (8,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Easley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.6%), Black (30.4%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Easley (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 Easley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "east clearing" or "east wood" 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 Easley (5.13 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 Easley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Easley is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.