2000
#6,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Hunley
Derived from a place name meaning "honeysuckle clearing" or referring to a huntsman or hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,067 Americans carry the last name Hunley. That puts it at #7,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hunley 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 Hunley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,644
Census rank
#7,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,419 bearers of the surname Hunley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hunley
The surname Hunley originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "huna" meaning "bear cub" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a clearing where bear cubs were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hunley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Huneleah," referring to a place in Wiltshire.
In the 13th century, the name was spelled "Huneleye" in the Hundred Rolls, which were administrative records from the time of King Edward I. During this period, the surname began to be used more widely as a hereditary family name.
Notable individuals with the surname Hunley include:
1. John Hunley (c. 1555-1616), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westbury in Wiltshire.
2. Thomas Hunley (1617-1688), an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "A Treatise on the Lord's Supper."
3. William Hunley (1720-1796), a British colonial settler in Virginia, who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Horace Hunley (1823-1863), a Confederate marine engineer and submariner during the American Civil War, best known for designing and operating the first successful combat submarine, the H.L. Hunley.
5. George Hunley (1865-1942), an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New Mexico from 1917 to 1919.
The surname Hunley has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Hunley in Shropshire, which was recorded as "Huneleye" in the Domesday Book, and Hunley in Hampshire, which was recorded as "Hunelei" in the 13th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hunley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hunley 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 Hunley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 3,440
- Black or African American15.5% · 687
- Two or more races3.5% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hunley
Hunley 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
#7,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,556
+78 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#7,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
-137 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,910 | 4,478 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,323 | 4,556 | 1.54 | +78 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #7,268 | 4,419 | 1.48 | -137 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 55 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 Hunley 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 | #7,323 | #7,268 | 0.8% |
| Count | 4,556 | 4,419 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.48 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hunley bearers went from 4,556 to 4,419 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,323 to #7,268.
FAQ
Hunley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hunley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,067 living Americans carry the surname Hunley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,644 residents.
How common is Hunley?
Hunley ranks #7,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,419 people with the surname Hunley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Hunley.
Has Hunley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hunley went from 4,556 recorded bearers to 4,419. That is a decrease of 137 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,323 to #7,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Hunley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hunley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (3,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hunley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (15.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hunley (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 Hunley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "honeysuckle clearing" or referring to a huntsman or hunter. 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 Hunley (1.48 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 common is the surname Hunley?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Hunley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.