2000
#849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.76
Uncommon Last name
Farley
An English occupational surname referring to a person who traveled widely or worked as a ferryman or boatman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,618 Americans carry the last name Farley. That puts it at #945 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farley 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 Farley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,236
Census rank
#945
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,293 bearers of the surname Farley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 945th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farley
The surname Farley has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "fearn" meaning fern and "leah" meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a fern-covered meadow or forest clearing.
The earliest known record of the name Farley dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several individuals with variations of the name such as Fernleh and Fernleah. This suggests that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the 11th century.
Over the centuries, the name Farley has been found in numerous historical records and documents, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals with the surname Farlegh. Other early spellings include Farleye, Farnley, and Farnleigh.
One notable person with the surname Farley was Sir John Farley (c. 1530-1600), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Sir Samuel Farley (1594-1670), an English lawyer and politician who represented Taunton in the Long Parliament.
In the 18th century, John Farley (1713-1793) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of precision timekeeping instruments. His work influenced the design and construction of clocks and watches for generations.
The name Farley has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Farley Hill in Berkshire and Farley Green in Surrey. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the settlement of families with the Farley name in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Farley include James Lewis Farley (1888-1976), an American politician who served as the Postmaster General under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John Farley (1842-1918), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Farley's Ophthalmic Hospital in Boston.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farley
Among Census respondents with the surname Farley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Farley 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 Farley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 29,401
- Black or African American10.6% · 3,846
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,327
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 258
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farley
Farley 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
#898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,528
+1,412 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 13.06
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,293
-2,235 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 12.14
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #849 | 37,116 | 13.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #898 | 38,528 | 13.06 | +1,412 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #945 | 36,293 | 12.14 | -2,235 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 47 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 Farley 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 | #898 | #945 | -5.2% |
| Count | 38,528 | 36,293 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 13.06 | 12.14 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farley bearers went from 38,528 to 36,293 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #898 to #945.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Farley
FAQ
Farley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farley?
Name Census estimates that about 41,618 living Americans carry the surname Farley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,236 residents.
How common is Farley?
Farley ranks #945 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,293 people with the surname Farley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Farley.
Has Farley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farley went from 38,528 recorded bearers to 36,293. That is a decrease of 2,235 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #898 to #945.
What does the Census say about the background of Farley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Farley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (29,401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Farley (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 Farley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who traveled widely or worked as a ferryman or boatman. 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 Farley (12.14 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 Farley?
You can see how many people have the last name Farley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.