2000
#11,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Lile
An English occupational surname referring to a flax grower or dealer, derived from the Old English word "lilie."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,851 Americans carry the last name Lile. That puts it at #12,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lile 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 Lile with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 120,222
Census rank
#12,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,486 bearers of the surname Lile in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lile, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lile
The surname LILE originates from England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lil," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived near a small hill or elevated land.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Lile, Lyle, and Lylle. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a John Lile is mentioned.
The LILE surname has a strong connection with several notable historical figures. One of the most prominent individuals was Sir John Lile, a renowned English soldier who served during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. Born around 1420, he fought alongside the House of Lancaster and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Wakefield in 1460.
Another notable figure was Robert Lile, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Berkshire, England, during the 16th century. He was recorded as a benefactor of St. Mary's Church in Reading, where his family's coat of arms can still be seen today.
In the 17th century, John Lile, a Puritan minister, gained recognition for his religious writings and sermons. Born in 1600, he served as a pastor in several parishes in England before immigrating to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, where he continued his ministry.
The LILE surname also has connections to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Lyle in Gloucestershire is believed to have derived its name from the surname, suggesting a historical connection between the name and the location.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Willelmus de Lile is listed as holding lands in Oxfordshire.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have carried the LILE surname, including Sir William Lile (1561-1635), an English politician and member of Parliament, and Thomas Lile (1711-1784), a British naval officer and explorer who played a significant role in the mapping of the Pacific Ocean.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lile
Among Census respondents with the surname Lile, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lile 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 Lile surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 2,143
- Two or more races5.1% · 126
- Black or African American3.8% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lile
Lile 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
#11,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,608
+122 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 390 places
2020
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,486
-122 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,587 | 2,486 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,977 | 2,608 | 0.88 | +122 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 390 places |
| 2020 | #12,000 | 2,486 | 0.83 | -122 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 23 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 Lile 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 | #11,977 | #12,000 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,608 | 2,486 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.83 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lile bearers went from 2,608 to 2,486 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,977 to #12,000.
FAQ
Lile surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lile?
Name Census estimates that about 2,851 living Americans carry the surname Lile. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,222 residents.
How common is Lile?
Lile ranks #12,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,486 people with the surname Lile. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Lile.
Has Lile become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lile went from 2,608 recorded bearers to 2,486. That is a decrease of 122 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,977 to #12,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Lile?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lile, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Lile in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (2,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lile appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (3.8%). 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 Lile (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 Lile mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a flax grower or dealer, derived from the Old English word "lilie." 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 Lile (0.83 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 Lile?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.