2000
#6,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,870
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Halley
Derived from a place name meaning "hay clearing" or "hay wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,155 Americans carry the last name Halley. That puts it at #7,171 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,490 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Halley 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 Halley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,490
Census rank
#7,171
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,495 bearers of the surname Halley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7171st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Halley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Halley
The surname Halley is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "halh" or "halig", which means "holy". It is thought to have initially been a topographic name for someone who lived near a holy place, such as a church or a sacred site.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century, with mentions in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk and the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire. These early records often show variations in spelling, such as "Hali", "Halie", and "Haly".
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Halla" is mentioned, which could be related to the name's origin. Additionally, there are several place names in England that may have contributed to the surname, such as Halley in Buckinghamshire and Halle in Lincolnshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Halley was the English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656-1742), best known for his work on the comet that bears his name, Halley's Comet. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Henry Halley (1828-1904), a British naval officer and colonial administrator.
Other historical figures with the Halley surname include William Halley (c. 1495-1554), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I, and Robert Halley (1796-1876), an English physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of zoology.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the Halley surname was John Halley, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Another early bearer of the name was Samuel Halley, who settled in Barbados in 1678.
Throughout history, the Halley surname has been associated with various professions, including astronomy, naval service, medicine, and religion, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halley
Among Census respondents with the surname Halley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Halley 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 Halley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 3,326
- Black or African American16.8% · 754
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 209
- Two or more races3.6% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Halley
Halley 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
#8,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,943
-927 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 1,962 places
2020
#7,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,495
+552 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Up 1,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,432 | 4,870 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,394 | 3,943 | 1.34 | -927 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 1,962 places |
| 2020 | #7,171 | 4,495 | 1.50 | +552 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 1,223 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 Halley 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 | #8,394 | #7,171 | 14.6% |
| Count | 3,943 | 4,495 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.50 | 12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Halley bearers went from 3,943 to 4,495 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 1,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,394 to #7,171.
FAQ
Halley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Halley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,155 living Americans carry the surname Halley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,490 residents.
How common is Halley?
Halley ranks #7,171 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,495 people with the surname Halley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Halley.
Has Halley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Halley went from 3,943 recorded bearers to 4,495. That is an increase of 552 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,394 to #7,171.
What does the Census say about the background of Halley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Halley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (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 Halley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (3,326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Halley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (16.8%), Hispanic (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 Halley (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 Halley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hay clearing" or "hay wood" in Old English. 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 Halley (1.50 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 Halley?
Find out how common the surname Halley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.