Hughley last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hughley

Derived from a place name meaning "woodland clearing belonging to Hugh," from the Old English name Hugh and "leah" (woodland clearing).

Hughley, 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 Hughley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hughley in America

Hughley is the 10560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hughley surname appeared 3,035 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hughley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hughley 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10560 11302 -6.79%
Count 3,035 2,565 16.79%
Proportion per 100k 1.03 0.95 8.08%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hughley

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

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 Hughley was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 17.83% 541
Non-Hispanic Black Only 77.17% 2,342
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.60% 79
Hispanic Origin 2.08% 63

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 Hughley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 17.83% 10.68% 50.16%
Black 77.17% 85.77% -10.56%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.60% 2.18% 17.57%
Hispanic 2.08% 0.94% 75.50%

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Hughley last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 6, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hughley-surname-popularity/.

"Hughley last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hughley-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 October, 2024

Hughley last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hughley-surname-popularity/.

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