2000
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Housley
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "holly wood or clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,347 Americans carry the last name Housley. That puts it at #8,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,848 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Housley 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 Housley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,848
Census rank
#8,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,791 bearers of the surname Housley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Housley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Housley
The surname Housley originated in England and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'hol' meaning 'hollow' and 'leah' meaning 'meadow' or 'clearing'. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a meadow situated in a hollow or valley.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Housley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, the name appears as 'de Holesleye', reflecting the Old English origin.
The Housley surname is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings across England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is recorded as 'Holesleia' and 'Holesleie' in this important historical document.
During the Middle Ages, the name Housley was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Derbyshire in northern England. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Holsley, Houlsley, and Howsley, reflecting regional dialects and inconsistent record-keeping practices.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Housley include:
1. John Housley (c. 1350-1425), an English cleric and scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
2. Sir Robert Housley (1575-1645), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
3. Elizabeth Housley (1683-1762), a prominent Quaker minister and writer from Yorkshire.
4. Samuel Housley (1791-1867), a British inventor and engineer who patented several innovations in textile machinery.
5. William Housley (1835-1911), a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Derbyshire who founded the Housley Charity Trust.
The surname Housley is also associated with various place names, such as Housley Park in Derbyshire and Housley Village in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Housley
Among Census respondents with the surname Housley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Housley 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 Housley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 2,961
- Black or African American13.5% · 513
- Two or more races4.1% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Housley
Housley 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
#8,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
+332 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 16 places
2020
#8,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,791
-169 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,377 | 3,628 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,361 | 3,960 | 1.34 | +332 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 16 places |
| 2020 | #8,361 | 3,791 | 1.27 | -169 bearers (-4.3%) | No rank change |
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 Housley 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 | #8,361 | #8,361 | 0.0% |
| Count | 3,960 | 3,791 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.27 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Housley bearers went from 3,960 to 3,791 (-4.3% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #8,361.
FAQ
Housley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Housley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,347 living Americans carry the surname Housley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,848 residents.
How common is Housley?
Housley ranks #8,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,791 people with the surname Housley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Housley.
Has Housley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Housley went from 3,960 recorded bearers to 3,791. That is a decrease of 169 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it stayed at #8,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Housley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Housley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Housley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (2,961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Housley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Black (13.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Housley (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 Housley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "holly wood or clearing." 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 Housley (1.27 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 last name Housley?
You can see how many people have the surname Housley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.