2000
#7,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Higley
Derived from a place name meaning "high clearing" or "high wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,913 Americans carry the last name Higley. That puts it at #7,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Higley 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 Higley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,765
Census rank
#7,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,284 bearers of the surname Higley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Higley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Higley
The surname Higley originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hig" meaning hay and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a hay meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where it appears as "Hygeley." This suggests that the surname was already established in the northern counties of England by the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name is found in various forms such as "Higgeley," "Higgley," and "Higley" in records from counties like Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. These variations in spelling were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Higley surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Higley Bank in Cheshire and Higley Hill in Staffordshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname in those regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Higley include:
1. Edward Higley (1611-1690), an English settler in Connecticut, considered one of the founders of the town of Simsbury.
2. Sir Thomas Higley (1635-1708), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1696.
3. George Higley (1718-1789), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
4. James Higley (1798-1884), an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Maryland.
5. William Higley (1813-1899), an American inventor and manufacturer who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery.
While the Higley surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a long and diverse history, with roots stretching back to medieval England and branches extending across the Atlantic to the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Higley
Among Census respondents with the surname Higley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Higley 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 Higley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,937
- Two or more races3.9% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Higley
Higley 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
#7,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,298
+144 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#7,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,284
-14 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,396 | 4,154 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,723 | 4,298 | 1.46 | +144 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #7,490 | 4,284 | 1.43 | -14 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 233 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 Higley 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 | #7,723 | #7,490 | 3.0% |
| Count | 4,298 | 4,284 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.43 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Higley bearers went from 4,298 to 4,284 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,723 to #7,490.
FAQ
Higley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Higley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,913 living Americans carry the surname Higley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,765 residents.
How common is Higley?
Higley ranks #7,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,284 people with the surname Higley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,913), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Higley.
Has Higley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Higley went from 4,298 recorded bearers to 4,284. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,723 to #7,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Higley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Higley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Higley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,937 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Higley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Higley (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 Higley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "high clearing" or "high 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 Higley (1.43 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 Higley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.