2000
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Hughley
Derived from a place name meaning "woodland clearing belonging to Hugh," from the Old English name Hugh and "leah" (woodland clearing).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,894 Americans carry the last name Hughley. That puts it at #11,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hughley 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.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,436
Census rank
#11,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,524 bearers of the surname Hughley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hughley
The surname HUGHLEY is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Hugh, which itself comes from the Germanic name Hugo, meaning "bright in mind and spirit."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HUGHLEY can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where it appears as "Hugelye." This suggests that the name was well-established in the West Midlands region of England by the late medieval period.
In the 14th century, variations of the name began to appear in various historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it is recorded as "Hughelot" in 1317. This indicates the gradual spread of the name across different parts of England.
The HUGHLEY surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Hughley in Shropshire and Hughleigh in Somerset. These locations likely took their names from early settlers bearing the surname, further solidifying its ties to the English landscape.
One notable figure in the history of the HUGHLEY name was Sir William Hughley (c. 1450 - 1505), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of Henry VII. His family held estates in the village of Hughley, which may have been the ancestral home of the surname.
Another notable individual was Robert Hughley (1565 - 1628), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Michael's Church in Lichfield, Staffordshire. His writings and sermons from the early 17th century provide valuable insights into the religious and social climate of the time.
In the 18th century, the HUGHLEY surname gained further recognition through the work of Thomas Hughley (1712 - 1786), a renowned English botanist and horticulturist. He is credited with introducing several new plant species to Britain and contributing to the development of modern gardening techniques.
Moving into the 19th century, one cannot overlook the influence of John Hughley (1826 - 1891), a prominent English industrialist and philanthropist. He established several successful manufacturing companies in the Midlands and was known for his support of educational and charitable initiatives in the region.
Finally, the 20th century saw the rise of Sir Alfred Hughley (1898 - 1976), a distinguished British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to France and later became the Permanent Representative to the United Nations. His diplomatic efforts played a crucial role in shaping international relations during the post-World War II era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hughley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hughley 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 Hughley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.3% · 2,077
- White9.0% · 227
- Two or more races5.7% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hughley
Hughley 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
#10,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
+470 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 742 places
2020
#11,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
-511 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,302 | 2,565 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,560 | 3,035 | 1.03 | +470 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 742 places |
| 2020 | #11,856 | 2,524 | 0.84 | -511 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,296 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 Hughley 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 | #10,560 | #11,856 | -12.3% |
| Count | 3,035 | 2,524 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.84 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hughley bearers went from 3,035 to 2,524 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,296 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,560 to #11,856.
FAQ
Hughley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hughley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,894 living Americans carry the surname Hughley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,436 residents.
How common is Hughley?
Hughley ranks #11,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,524 people with the surname Hughley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Hughley.
Has Hughley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hughley went from 3,035 recorded bearers to 2,524. That is a decrease of 511 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,560 to #11,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Hughley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hughley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (2,077 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hughley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.3%), White (9.0%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Hughley (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 Hughley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "woodland clearing belonging to Hugh," from the Old English name Hugh and "leah" (woodland 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 Hughley (0.84 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 Americans have the surname Hughley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.