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

Harley, 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 Harley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Harley in America

Harley is the 2943rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Harley surname appeared 12,186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Harley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Harley 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 Harley

The surname Harley is of Old English origin, derived from the place name Hartley, which means "the hart's (deer) meadow" or "the stag's meadow". It is believed to have originated in the regions of Lancashire and Yorkshire in Northern England during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded mention of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Herlui" and "Herlewine". These were likely early spellings of the name, reflecting the Norman influence on English at the time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Herteley", "Hertley", and "Hartley". These variations suggest the name's connection to the Old English words "heorot" (hart or stag) and "leah" (meadow or clearing).

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Harley, who lived in the 14th century and was a notable Knight of the Garter during the reign of King Edward III. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Harley (1579-1656), who served as Master of the Mint under King Charles I and was a prominent member of Parliament.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire. Notable individuals from this period include:

1. Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1689-1741), a renowned bibliophile and collector of manuscripts.
2. Thomas Harley (1730-1804), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. George Harley (1828-1896), a British physician and pathologist who made significant contributions to the field of medicine.

In more recent history, the surname has been associated with notable individuals such as:

1. Robert Harley (1828-1910), an English engineer and inventor who designed the first successful safety bicycle.
2. Walter Harley (1868-1937), the co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company, which was established in 1903.

The name Harley has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, Hartley in Kent, and Hartley Green in Buckinghamshire, further emphasizing its connection to the Old English words for "hart" and "meadow".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Harley

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

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

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

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