2000
#6,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,640
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Kerley
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cauldrons or vats, derived from the Old English "cȳrle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,063 Americans carry the last name Kerley. That puts it at #7,279 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kerley 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 Kerley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,698
Census rank
#7,279
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,415 bearers of the surname Kerley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7279th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kerley
The surname Kerley originates from the 12th century in the northern English county of Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English words 'cyrr' meaning a bend or turn, and 'lēah' meaning a meadow or field. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a bend in a river or stream surrounded by meadows.
One of the earliest records of the name appears in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, where a John de Kerley is listed. The prefix 'de' indicating he was from the place called Kerley or Kerlegh, an old spelling variation.
By the 16th century, the surname had evolved to the modern spelling of Kerley. Parish records from 1568 in the village of Tadcaster, Yorkshire show a Thomas Kerley was born that year. Kerley Beck, a small stream near the village, may be the origin of the place name the surname derived from.
An early notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Kerley (1580-1647), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. His estate of Kersall Cell in Lancashire was confiscated by Parliament in 1645.
Moving into the 18th century, John Kerley (1708-1788) was a successful merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England who traded extensively with the American colonies before the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Thomas Kerley (1819-1898) emigrated from Yorkshire to Australia in 1841, becoming a prosperous sheep farmer near Goulburn, New South Wales. His descendants continue to use the Kerley name in that region.
Another 19th century bearer was William Kerley (1835-1912), a prolific English landscape painter who exhibited works at the Royal Academy and is represented in galleries across the United Kingdom.
The surname Kerley maintains a strong connection to its Yorkshire origins, appearing predominantly in northern England census records through the modern era, while also finding representation in other English-speaking nations through later emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kerley
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kerley 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 Kerley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 3,719
- Black or African American5.3% · 233
- Two or more races5.1% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kerley
Kerley 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
#6,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,342
+702 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Up 335 places
2020
#7,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,415
-927 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 904 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,710 | 4,640 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,375 | 5,342 | 1.81 | +702 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 335 places |
| 2020 | #7,279 | 4,415 | 1.48 | -927 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 904 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 Kerley 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 | #6,375 | #7,279 | -14.2% |
| Count | 5,342 | 4,415 | -17.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.48 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kerley bearers went from 5,342 to 4,415 (-17.4% change). The surname moved down 904 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,375 to #7,279.
FAQ
Kerley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kerley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,063 living Americans carry the surname Kerley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,698 residents.
How common is Kerley?
Kerley ranks #7,279 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 4,415 people with the surname Kerley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,063), 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 Kerley.
Has Kerley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kerley went from 5,342 recorded bearers to 4,415. That is a decrease of 927 (-17.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,375 to #7,279.
What does the Census say about the background of Kerley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kerley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (3,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kerley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kerley (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 Kerley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cauldrons or vats, derived from the Old English "cȳrle." 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 Kerley (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 many people have the surname Kerley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.