2000
#3,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Uncommon Last name
Findley
Derived from the Old English words "fyn" and "leah," meaning a pleasant or fair clearing or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,642 Americans carry the last name Findley. That puts it at #3,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Findley 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 Findley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,208
Census rank
#3,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,280 bearers of the surname Findley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Findley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Findley
The surname Findley originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "fionn," meaning fair or white, and the diminutive suffix "ag" or "óg," meaning little or young. The name likely referred to someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Findley can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry lists a "Finlay de Campsie" from the village of Campsie in Stirlingshire.
In the 15th century, the Findley surname appears in the records of the Burgh of Lanark, Scotland. A certain "John Findlay" is mentioned as a merchant and burgess of the town in 1456.
The name has also been associated with the Clan Farquharson, a Scottish Highland clan from Aberdeenshire. One of the earliest recorded members of the clan was "Findla Mor," who lived in the late 12th century and is considered the progenitor of the Farquharson family.
Notable individuals with the surname Findley throughout history include:
1. Robert Findley (1721-1814), a Scottish-American pioneer and frontiersman who helped establish the first permanent settlement in West Virginia.
2. William Findley (1741-1821), an American politician and one of the founders of the Democratic-Republican Party, serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the United States House of Representatives.
3. David Findley (1813-1890), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the city of Findlay, Ohio, named after him and his family.
4. Jesse Findley (1867-1942), an American journalist and newspaper editor who worked for the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
5. John Van Ness Findley (1888-1964), an American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The surname Findley has also appeared in various place names, such as Findley Lake in New York and Findley Township in Pennsylvania, further demonstrating its historical significance and geographical spread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Findley
Among Census respondents with the surname Findley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Findley 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 Findley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 7,429
- Black or African American10.8% · 1,003
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 379
- Two or more races3.8% · 354
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Findley
Findley 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
#3,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,505
+445 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 126 places
2020
#3,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,280
-225 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,603 | 9,060 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,729 | 9,505 | 3.22 | +445 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 126 places |
| 2020 | #3,724 | 9,280 | 3.10 | -225 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 5 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 Findley 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 | #3,729 | #3,724 | 0.1% |
| Count | 9,505 | 9,280 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.22 | 3.10 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Findley bearers went from 9,505 to 9,280 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,729 to #3,724.
FAQ
Findley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Findley?
Name Census estimates that about 10,642 living Americans carry the surname Findley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,208 residents.
How common is Findley?
Findley ranks #3,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,280 people with the surname Findley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Findley.
Has Findley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Findley went from 9,505 recorded bearers to 9,280. That is a decrease of 225 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,729 to #3,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Findley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Findley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Findley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (7,429 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Findley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.8%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Findley (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 Findley mean?
Derived from the Old English words "fyn" and "leah," meaning a pleasant or fair clearing or meadow. 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 Findley (3.10 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 many people are called Findley?
See how common the surname Findley is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.