2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ladely
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with a name like Ladeley or Leadley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ladely. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ladely 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ladely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladely, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ladely
The surname LADELY originates from England and can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lad" meaning a path or way, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a meadow path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Ladelei." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Ladelea" and "Ladeleye," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name from this period was William de Ladelea, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230.
In the 14th century, the name evolved further, with variations such as "Ladley" and "Ladeley" becoming more common. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this spelling was John Ladeley, who was listed in the Court Rolls of Wiltshire in 1349.
During the Tudor period, the name continued to be represented in various records, with individuals such as Thomas Ladely, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the city's guild records in 1512.
Notable bearers of the LADELY surname in later centuries include Sir John Ladely (1620-1692), a prominent lawyer and landowner in Gloucestershire, and William Ladely (1746-1823), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Midlands region of England.
Other individuals with the LADELY surname who left their mark on history include Mary Ladely (1778-1856), a noted philanthropist and advocate for women's education; Reverend Thomas Ladely (1812-1887), a prominent clergyman and author; and Sir Edward Ladely (1842-1918), a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ladely
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladely, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ladely 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 Ladely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ladely
Ladely 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+11 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 618 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-20 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 618 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 18,840 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 Ladely 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 | #129,825 | #148,665 | -14.5% |
| Count | 131 | 111 | -15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ladely bearers went from 131 to 111 (-15.3% change). The surname moved down 18,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ladely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ladely?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ladely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ladely?
Ladely ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Ladely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Ladely.
Has Ladely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ladely went from 131 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ladely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladely, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ladely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ladely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ladely (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 Ladely mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with a name like Ladeley or Leadley. 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 Ladely (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 common is the surname Ladely?
See how many Americans have the surname Ladely on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.