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

Gurley, 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 Gurley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gurley in America

Gurley is the 4098th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gurley surname appeared 8,669 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Gurley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gurley 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 Gurley

The surname Gurley is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "gur" and "leah," which together mean "the muddy clearing." This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name referring to a settlement or piece of land located in a swampy or marshy area.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Gurley appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it is listed as "John de Gorlay." This spelling variation likely arose from the dialect spoken in the region where the name first emerged.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Gurle," "Gyrle," and "Gurlay" in records from counties like Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. These regional variations reflect the different pronunciations and spellings used by scribes at the time.

The Gurley surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gurley in Staffordshire and Gurleyhill in Yorkshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or vice versa.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Gurley was John Gurley (c. 1370 - 1438), a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of Henry VI.

Other historical figures bearing the Gurley name include:

1. Ralph Gurley (1591 - 1670), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. John Gurley (1688 - 1741), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Norwich.
3. William Gurley (1768 - 1843), an American surveyor and cartographer known for his work mapping the American West.
4. Phineas D. Gurley (1816 - 1868), an American minister who served as the chaplain of the United States House of Representatives during the American Civil War.
5. Josiah Gurley (1768 - 1834), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana.

While the Gurley surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to the United States and other English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gurley

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

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

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

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