2000
#4,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.81
Rare Last name
Lilley
Derived from a place name meaning "island of lilies" in Old English, or referring to someone living near lilies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,625 Americans carry the last name Lilley. That puts it at #4,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,740 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lilley 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 Lilley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,740
Census rank
#4,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,521 bearers of the surname Lilley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lilley
The surname Lilley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "le" meaning a meadow or clearing and "leah" meaning a wood or grove. It is thought to have originated as a place name referring to a meadow within a grove or forest clearing.
Lilley is an ancient name, with records dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lillai" and "Lillea". The earliest known bearer of the name was Radulfus de Lillai, recorded in Wiltshire, England in 1148.
Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Lilley, Lilly, Lillie, Lylly, and Lyly. The different spellings reflect regional dialects and changes in pronunciation over time.
One notable bearer of the name was John Lyly (c. 1554-1606), an English playwright, poet, and courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He is best known for his novel "Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit" and his plays, which are considered some of the earliest examples of English prose fiction.
Another notable figure was Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), a Dutch painter who worked in England during the 17th century. His real name was Pieter van der Faes, but he adopted the name Lely after the town of Lille in the Netherlands, where he was born.
In the 18th century, James Lilly (1737-1804) was a noted English engraver and print publisher, known for his work on maps and topographical prints.
The Lilley family also has connections to the American colonies. John Lilley (1663-1719) was an early settler in Pennsylvania, arriving in the late 17th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Lilley (1817-1863), an English cricketer who played for Surrey and is considered one of the earliest professional cricketers.
While the name Lilley has its roots in England, it has spread across the English-speaking world and can be found in many countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lilley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lilley 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 Lilley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 6,356
- Black or African American5.2% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 305
- Two or more races4.0% · 301
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lilley
Lilley 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
#4,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,780
+191 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#4,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,521
-259 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,332 | 7,589 | 2.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,557 | 7,780 | 2.64 | +191 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #4,571 | 7,521 | 2.52 | -259 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 14 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 Lilley 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 | #4,557 | #4,571 | -0.3% |
| Count | 7,780 | 7,521 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.52 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lilley bearers went from 7,780 to 7,521 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,557 to #4,571.
FAQ
Lilley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lilley?
Name Census estimates that about 8,625 living Americans carry the surname Lilley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,740 residents.
How common is Lilley?
Lilley ranks #4,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,521 people with the surname Lilley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lilley.
Has Lilley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lilley went from 7,780 recorded bearers to 7,521. That is a decrease of 259 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,557 to #4,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Lilley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Lilley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (6,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lilley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Lilley (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 Lilley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "island of lilies" in Old English, or referring to someone living near lilies. 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 Lilley (2.52 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 Lilley?
Find out how common the surname Lilley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.