2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hurly
A surname derived from the Old French word "hurler" meaning to howl or shout.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hurly. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hurly 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 Hurly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hurly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurly, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hurly
The surname HURLY is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the Gaelic name O'Hurley or O'Hurly, derived from the Old Irish word "Iarmhuilleadh," meaning "descendant of the heir."
One of the earliest records of the name HURLY can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century, which mentions a notable figure named Aodh O'Hurley who lived in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the HURLY name appears in various historical documents and records related to County Cork and County Limerick in Ireland. Some variations in spelling, such as Hurlee, Hurly, and Hurlie, were also documented during this time.
The HURLY surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Dermot O'Hurly, an Irish Catholic priest and martyr who was executed in 1584 for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent bearer of the HURLY name was Maurice Hurly (1591-1627), an Irish Franciscan friar and theologian who served as the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in Ireland.
In the 17th century, the name HURLY appears in various legal documents and land records in County Cork, indicating the family's presence in the region. One notable example is John Hurly (1630-1701), a landowner and member of the Irish Parliament who played a role in the Williamite War in Ireland.
During the 18th century, the HURLY surname continued to be associated with Ireland, particularly in counties like Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. One notable figure from this period was James Hurly (1719-1789), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who established a renowned school in County Cork.
As the HURLY family spread beyond Ireland, the name also gained a presence in other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia, where descendants of Irish immigrants settled and established themselves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hurly
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurly, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hurly 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 Hurly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 93
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hurly
Hurly appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-15 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,015 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 15,015 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 Hurly 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 | #132,206 | #147,221 | -11.4% |
| Count | 128 | 113 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hurly bearers went from 128 to 113 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 15,015 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hurly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hurly?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hurly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hurly?
Hurly ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Hurly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hurly.
Has Hurly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hurly went from 128 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hurly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurly, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Hurly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hurly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Two or More Races (7.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Hurly (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 Hurly mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "hurler" meaning to howl or shout. 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 Hurly (0.04 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 Hurly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.