2000
#2,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.51
Uncommon Last name
Huntley
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "huntsman's woodland clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,899 Americans carry the last name Huntley. That puts it at #2,898 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,660 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huntley 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 Huntley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,660
Census rank
#2,898
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,121 bearers of the surname Huntley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2898th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huntley
The surname Huntley originated in England, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from one of several places called Huntley or Huntly, located in various counties across England. The name itself is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hunt," meaning hunter, and "leah," meaning a woodland or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, where a person named Robertus de Hunteleye is mentioned. Other early references include the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272, which mention a William de Hunteleye, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which record a John Huntele.
The Huntley surname is also found in several historical documents, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears in various spellings like Huntelei and Huntelegh. This suggests that the name was well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
Over the centuries, the Huntley name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was John Huntley (c. 1349-1382), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. Another prominent figure was Sir John Huntley (c. 1460-1537), who served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire and was involved in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion in 1536.
Other notable individuals with the Huntley surname include:
1. George Huntley (1589-1658), an English clergyman and author.
2. Sir Charles Huntley (1688-1748), a British army officer and Member of Parliament.
3. Henry Huntley (1765-1836), an English industrialist and inventor.
4. Richard Huntley (1811-1892), an English businessman and founder of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit company.
5. Walter Huntley (1877-1944), a British stage and film actor.
The Huntley name has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Huntley in Gloucestershire, Huntley in Somerset, and Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, reflecting the locational origins of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huntley
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Huntley 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 Huntley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 8,052
- Black or African American25.4% · 3,078
- Two or more races4.3% · 518
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 339
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huntley
Huntley 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
#2,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,614
+439 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Down 143 places
2020
#2,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,121
-493 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,715 | 12,175 | 4.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,858 | 12,614 | 4.28 | +439 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 143 places |
| 2020 | #2,898 | 12,121 | 4.06 | -493 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 40 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 Huntley 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 | #2,858 | #2,898 | -1.4% |
| Count | 12,614 | 12,121 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.28 | 4.06 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huntley bearers went from 12,614 to 12,121 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,858 to #2,898.
FAQ
Huntley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huntley?
Name Census estimates that about 13,899 living Americans carry the surname Huntley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,660 residents.
How common is Huntley?
Huntley ranks #2,898 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,121 people with the surname Huntley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,899), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Huntley.
Has Huntley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huntley went from 12,614 recorded bearers to 12,121. That is a decrease of 493 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,858 to #2,898.
What does the Census say about the background of Huntley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huntley, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Huntley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (8,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huntley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (25.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Huntley (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 Huntley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "huntsman's 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 Huntley (4.06 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 Huntley?
You can see how common the surname Huntley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.