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

Featherly, 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 Featherly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Featherly in America

Featherly is the 48628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Featherly surname appeared 434 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 Featherly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Featherly 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 Featherly

The surname Featherly is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "feather" and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing overgrown with ferns or feather-like plants. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near such a location or worked with these types of plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century, where a person named Robert de Fetherlaye is mentioned. The use of the Norman French preposition "de" indicates that this was likely a locative surname, referring to a place of residence or origin.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Fetherley, Fethirley, and Fetherleigh, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. A notable example from this period is John Fetherley, who was recorded as a landowner in the Yorkshire village of Settrington in 1379.

As the name spread across England, it underwent further changes in spelling and pronunciation. In the 16th century, the Featherlie family was well-established in the county of Norfolk, where a Thomas Featherlie was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.

One of the earliest known instances of the Featherly spelling can be found in the parish records of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, where a William Featherly was christened in 1593. This spelling became more prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Featherly include Sir John Featherly (1590-1661), a Member of Parliament for the Borough of Scarborough during the English Civil War era, and Reverend Thomas Featherly (1645-1719), a Church of England clergyman who served as the Rector of Wycliffe, Yorkshire.

Another noteworthy figure was Captain Henry Featherly (1720-1798), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He was commended for his bravery and leadership in several battles against the French and Spanish fleets.

In the 19th century, the Featherly name continued to be associated with various professions and industries. One example is James Featherly (1802-1878), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who established a thriving textile mill in the town of Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

While the name Featherly is not among the most common surnames today, it maintains a strong connection to its northern English roots and the historical references that trace its origins back to the medieval era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Featherly

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Featherly, please contact us.

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