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

Emley, 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 Emley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Emley in America

Emley is the 35395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Emley surname appeared 636 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Emley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Emley 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 Emley

The surname Emley originates from England and dates back to the medieval era. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Emley in West Yorkshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Amelai". The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "ęmel" meaning "ridge" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Emley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Radulfus de Emley is mentioned. In the 13th century, a landowner named William de Emley is documented in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire.

During the 14th century, the surname appears in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which lists a John de Emley. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 also mention a Robert de Emley.

In the 15th century, the surname is recorded in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family of Norfolk. One letter, dated 1472, mentions a certain Thomas Emley, who was likely a servant or retainer of the Paston household.

Notable individuals with the surname Emley throughout history include Sir John Emley (c. 1550-1620), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stockbridge in Hampshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another distinguished figure was Reverend Thomas Emley (1663-1743), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works in the early 18th century.

During the 18th century, William Emley (1701-1782) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London and the surrounding areas. In the 19th century, Dr. Samuel Emley (1812-1889) was a respected physician and author who wrote several medical treatises.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Emley was Sir John Emley-Blackwell (1864-1932), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was knighted for his contributions to the community and charitable endeavors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Emley

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Emley, 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!