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

Kearley, 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 Kearley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kearley in America

Kearley is the 39717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kearley surname appeared 553 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kearley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kearley 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.

The history of the last name Kearley

The surname Kearley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "caer" meaning a fort or walled town, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a fortified town or settlement surrounded by meadows.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Kareleie" in the county of Derbyshire. This suggests that the name may have originated in the area around modern-day Kearsley, a town in Greater Manchester.

In the 13th century, the name was found in various spellings such as Kareleye, Kereley, and Kerley, reflecting the local dialects and variations in pronunciation. During this time, the surname was concentrated in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, where many of the early bearers of the name were landowners and farmers.

One notable figure in the history of the Kearley surname was Sir John Kearley (c.1480-1544), who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of Henry VIII. He was a prominent landowner and played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries in the region.

Another significant individual was Thomas Kearley (1615-1693), a Puritan minister and author who was ejected from his church during the Great Ejection of 1662. He went on to become a influential figure in the nonconformist movement and wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, the spelling of the name seems to have stabilized as Kearley, and it began to spread to other parts of England. One notable bearer was John Kearley (1784-1864), a successful merchant and philanthropist from London, who founded the Kearley Charity Trust to support education and alleviate poverty.

During the 19th century, the name was carried by individuals such as Richard Kearley (1808-1891), a prominent cotton manufacturer and mill owner in Lancashire, and William Kearley (1824-1898), a Member of Parliament for Devizes and a supporter of the Temperance movement.

Another noteworthy figure was Joseph Kearley (1864-1944), a trade union leader and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Gateshead and played a significant role in the Labour movement in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kearley

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

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 Kearley was:

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

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

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

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