2000
#1,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.52
Uncommon Last name
Henley
From a place name meaning "high wood" or "clearing in the forest" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,963 Americans carry the last name Henley. That puts it at #1,744 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,926 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henley 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 Henley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,926
Census rank
#1,744
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,025 bearers of the surname Henley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1744th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henley
The surname Henley is of English origin, derived from the place name Henley, which can be traced back to the Old English words "hēan" meaning "high" and "lēah" meaning "woodland clearing." The name likely originated in the 11th century or earlier, referring to individuals who lived in the elevated woodland clearings of various locations in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Henlei" in reference to the town of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The town's name was derived from the same Old English roots, indicating a high clearing in a wooded area.
The surname Henley has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Walter de Henley, a 13th-century English writer and agriculturist who authored the influential treatise "Husbandry" (c. 1286), providing insights into medieval farming practices.
In the realm of literature, the name is closely linked to William Ernest Henley (1849-1903), a prominent English poet, critic, and editor. He is best known for his poetry collection "In Hospital" and his iconic poem "Invictus," which has inspired generations with its message of resilience and unconquerable spirit.
Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Henley (1786-1841), an English engineer and inventor who contributed significantly to the development of early steam engines and assisted in the construction of the famous Menai Suspension Bridge in Wales.
In the field of sports, Sir Walter Henley (1856-1939) was a notable English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club and was inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame in 2009.
The name Henley has also been associated with places, such as Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire, and Henley Brook in Western Australia, further cementing its historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henley
Among Census respondents with the surname Henley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Henley 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 Henley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 13,321
- Black or African American24.5% · 4,916
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 795
- Two or more races3.9% · 773
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henley
Henley 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
#1,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,934
+658 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.10
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,025
-909 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.70
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,619 | 20,276 | 7.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,717 | 20,934 | 7.10 | +658 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,744 | 20,025 | 6.70 | -909 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 27 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 Henley 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 | #1,717 | #1,744 | -1.6% |
| Count | 20,934 | 20,025 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.10 | 6.70 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henley bearers went from 20,934 to 20,025 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,717 to #1,744.
FAQ
Henley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henley?
Name Census estimates that about 22,963 living Americans carry the surname Henley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,926 residents.
How common is Henley?
Henley ranks #1,744 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,025 people with the surname Henley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Henley.
Has Henley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henley went from 20,934 recorded bearers to 20,025. That is a decrease of 909 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,717 to #1,744.
What does the Census say about the background of Henley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Henley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (13,321 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (24.5%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Henley (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 Henley mean?
From a place name meaning "high wood" or "clearing in the forest" 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 Henley (6.70 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 Henley?
See how many people are called Henley on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.