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

Fenley, 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 Fenley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fenley in America

Fenley is the 19480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fenley surname appeared 1,387 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 Fenley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fenley 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 Fenley

The surname Fenley is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "fen" meaning a marsh or a bog, and "ley" meaning a meadow or a clearing. This suggests that the name was initially associated with someone who lived near a marshy area or a clearing surrounded by wetlands.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Fenley can be found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire from 1195, where the name appears as "Fenlegh". Other similar spellings from that time period include "Fenleigh" and "Fenlye".

In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086, there are references to places with names similar to Fenley, such as "Fenelega" in Oxfordshire and "Fenleche" in Worcestershire, which may have been the original locations associated with the surname.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Fenley was Sir John Fenley, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Another notable figure was William Fenley (c. 1460-1525), a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, there are records of a family named Fenley residing in the village of Weston-under-Wetherley in Warwickshire. This may have been the ancestral home of the Fenley family, as the name is likely derived from the nearby Fenny Compton, a village situated in a marshy area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Fenley include:

1. Robert Fenley (1603-1670), an English clergyman and author of religious texts.
2. Elizabeth Fenley (1720-1795), a philanthropist and founder of the Fenley Orphanage in Bristol.
3. James Fenley (1789-1862), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America.
4. Henry Fenley (1836-1911), an English architect known for designing several notable churches and public buildings in London.
5. Mary Fenley (1867-1945), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.

While the surname Fenley is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history rooted in the country's rural landscapes and the lives of individuals who have left their mark in various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fenley

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

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

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

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