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

Finley, 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 Finley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finley in America

Finley is the 922nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finley surname appeared 37,672 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Finley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finley 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 Finley

The surname Finley has its origins in Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "fionn" meaning "white" or "fair," and "laith" meaning "warrior" or "champion." The name was likely given to someone with fair hair who was a skilled fighter.

The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of documents recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Finlay" in these rolls.

In the 15th century, the name was recorded as "Fynlay" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

One notable person with the surname Finley was John Finley, born in 1797, who was a Scottish-American explorer and author. He is best known for his expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the early 19th century and his book "Life Among the Indians."

Another prominent figure was Robert Finley, born in 1772, who was a Presbyterian minister and a prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery in the United States. He founded the American Colonization Society in 1816, which aimed to establish a colony in Africa for free African Americans.

In the 18th century, the name was also associated with the Finley family of Staffordshire, England. One member of this family, John Finley, born in 1725, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor who patented several innovative timepiece designs.

The name Finley has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Finleyston in Renfrewshire and Finleyrig in Lanarkshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.

Another notable person with the surname Finley was Samuel Finley, born in 1715, who was a Presbyterian minister and the fifth president of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. He played a significant role in the development of higher education in the American colonies.

These are just a few examples of the historical prominence and geographical spread of the surname Finley, which has its roots in the Scottish Highlands but has since been carried to various parts of the world by those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finley

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

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

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

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