2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lessly
An uncommon surname derived from the suffix "-less", possibly indicating the bearer's lack of certain qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Lessly. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lessly 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Lessly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lessly
The surname "LESSLY" is believed to have its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 16th century. This name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "laes," meaning a pasture or meadow, combined with the suffix "-ley," indicating a clearing or field. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, where a Thomas Lessly was mentioned in 1592. The name also appears in the Hertfordshire County Records of 1603, where a John Lessly is listed as a landowner in the village of Tring.
In the late 17th century, the Lessly family seems to have established a presence in the county of Yorkshire. The Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York holds records of a William Lessly, born in 1675, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Ripon.
During the 18th century, the name Lessly appeared in various historical documents across England. Notable figures include Robert Lessly (1712-1789), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Lincolnshire, and Margaret Lessly (1732-1801), a renowned author and poet from Norfolk.
In the 19th century, the Lessly family continued to leave their mark on British history. One notable figure was Sir George Lessly (1823-1897), a distinguished military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a member of Parliament. Another was Elizabeth Lessly (1849-1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded one of the first girls' schools in London.
As the centuries progressed, the Lessly name spread beyond England, with descendants migrating to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. However, the origins of this surname can be traced back to the rural landscapes of England, where it first emerged as a descriptor for those who lived in or near peaceful meadows and clearings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lessly
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lessly 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 Lessly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 6
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lessly
Lessly 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Lessly 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lessly bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Lessly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lessly?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Lessly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Lessly?
Lessly ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Lessly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Lessly.
Has Lessly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lessly went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Lessly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Lessly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lessly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%), Black (2.8%). 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 Lessly (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 Lessly mean?
An uncommon surname derived from the suffix "-less", possibly indicating the bearer's lack of certain qualities. 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 Lessly (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 people have the surname Lessly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.