2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gazeley
A locational surname derived from the village of Gazeley in Suffolk, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Gazeley. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gazeley 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 Gazeley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Gazeley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gazeley
The surname Gazeley is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the village of Gazeley, which is situated in the county of Suffolk, England. The name of the village itself is derived from the Old English words "gaers" meaning "grass" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow."
The earliest recorded mention of the surname Gazeley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from the year 1166, where a certain William de Garsele is listed. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by the 12th century.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a John de Garsele, who held lands in the village of Gazeley. This provides further evidence of the surname's deep roots in the region.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk from 1310, where a Robert de Garseleye is mentioned as a landholder.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Gazeley, who was born in Gazeley, Suffolk, around 1480. He served as a yeoman farmer and is mentioned in local records from the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname was Thomas Gazeley (c. 1520-1589), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. He played an active role in local affairs and served as a churchwarden for several years.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain William Gazeley (c. 1610-1670) fought on the Parliamentarian side under the command of Oliver Cromwell. He was from a branch of the family that had settled in Essex.
In the 18th century, a distinguished member of the Gazeley family was Reverend John Gazeley (1711-1789), who was a respected clergyman and served as the Vicar of Saxlingham Nethergate in Norfolk for over four decades.
Another notable individual was Sir Robert Gazeley (1759-1842), who was a successful businessman and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1809. He was born in Gazeley, Suffolk, and went on to make his fortune in the City of London.
Throughout history, various spellings of the surname have been used, such as Garsele, Garseleye, and Garsely, before the modern spelling of Gazeley became more standardized.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gazeley
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gazeley 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 Gazeley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gazeley
Gazeley 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,460 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,460 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Gazeley 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gazeley bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Gazeley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gazeley?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Gazeley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Gazeley?
Gazeley ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Gazeley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gazeley.
Has Gazeley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gazeley went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Gazeley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gazeley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gazeley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gazeley (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 Gazeley mean?
A locational surname derived from the village of Gazeley in Suffolk, England. 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 Gazeley (0.04 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 Gazeley?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gazeley? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.