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

Horsley, 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 Horsley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Horsley in America

Horsley is the 5306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Horsley surname appeared 6,565 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Horsley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Horsley 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 Horsley

The surname Horsley originated in England and has been present since the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from various places in England called Horsley, which means "a clearing or pasture where horses graze." The name comes from the Old English words "hors" meaning horse and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Horsley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Horsleie" and "Horslegh." This suggests that people were already taking on the name Horsley from their place of residence around the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Horsley living in Northumberland, indicating the presence of the name in that region. The Horsley family also had a strong presence in Gloucestershire, where they owned lands and properties.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Horsley (c. 1490-1544), a courtier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1536.

Another historical figure was John Horsley (1685-1732), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was appointed the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford in 1719 and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, Samuel Horsley (1733-1806) was a renowned English bishop and composer. He served as the Bishop of Rochester and later became the Bishop of St. Asaph. Horsley was also an accomplished musician and wrote various sacred compositions.

The name Horsley has also been associated with notable places, such as Horsley Hill in South Gloucestershire, which was once owned by the Horsley family, and Horsley Park in New South Wales, Australia, named after an early settler with the surname.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Victor Horsley (1857-1916), a pioneering British neurosurgeon and scientist. He made significant contributions to the field of neurology and was one of the first to perform successful brain surgeries.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Horsley, which has its roots in Old English and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Horsley

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

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

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

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