2000
#4,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Gurley
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "red clearing" or "triangular clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,342 Americans carry the last name Gurley. That puts it at #4,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,690 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gurley 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 Gurley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,690
Census rank
#4,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,147 bearers of the surname Gurley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurley
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gurley 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 Gurley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 5,683
- Black or African American22.1% · 1,803
- Two or more races4.6% · 376
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 213
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gurley
Gurley 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
#4,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,669
+627 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#4,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,147
-522 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,068 | 8,042 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,098 | 8,669 | 2.94 | +627 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #4,216 | 8,147 | 2.73 | -522 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 118 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 Gurley 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 | #4,098 | #4,216 | -2.9% |
| Count | 8,669 | 8,147 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.73 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gurley bearers went from 8,669 to 8,147 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,098 to #4,216.
FAQ
Gurley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gurley?
Name Census estimates that about 9,342 living Americans carry the surname Gurley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,690 residents.
How common is Gurley?
Gurley ranks #4,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 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 8,147 people with the surname Gurley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 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 Gurley.
Has Gurley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gurley went from 8,669 recorded bearers to 8,147. That is a decrease of 522 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,098 to #4,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Gurley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gurley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (5,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gurley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Black (22.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gurley (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 Gurley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "red clearing" or "triangular clearing." 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 Gurley (2.73 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 have the surname Gurley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.