2000
#3,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Lindley
From the linden tree meadow or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,212 Americans carry the last name Lindley. That puts it at #3,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindley 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 Lindley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,570
Census rank
#3,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,777 bearers of the surname Lindley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lindley
The surname Lindley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'lind' meaning lime tree and 'leah' meaning a clearing or meadow. It was originally a place name referring to a clearing or meadow where lime trees grew.
The earliest recorded reference to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Lindelei' in Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Throughout the medieval period, variations of the name such as Lyndelay, Lindeley, and Lyndeley can be found in various historical records and parish registers across England, particularly in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Roger de Lindley, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195. Another notable figure was Sir Henry Lindley (c.1380-1456), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Nottinghamshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname became more widespread, with several notable individuals bearing the name. These include Thomas Lindley (1548-1628), an English clergyman and author, and John Lindley (1599-1657), an English botanist and horticulturist who wrote several influential works on gardening and plant classification.
In the 18th century, Nathaniel Lindley (1697-1766) was a prominent English Quaker and merchant, while Thomas Lindley (1778-1857) was a renowned English missionary and pioneer in spreading Christianity in South Africa.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the Lindley surname, including Sir Nathaniel Lindley (1828-1915), an English judge and law reformer, and John Lindley (1799-1865), an English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of orchids and was one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society.
While the name has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to the Old English words 'lind' and 'leah', reflecting its connection to the natural landscape of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindley 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 Lindley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 8,384
- Black or African American4.8% · 472
- Two or more races4.0% · 391
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 375
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindley
Lindley 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
#3,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,260
+207 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#3,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,777
-483 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,265 | 10,053 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,482 | 10,260 | 3.48 | +207 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #3,559 | 9,777 | 3.27 | -483 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 77 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 Lindley 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 | #3,482 | #3,559 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,260 | 9,777 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.27 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindley bearers went from 10,260 to 9,777 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,482 to #3,559.
FAQ
Lindley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindley?
Name Census estimates that about 11,212 living Americans carry the surname Lindley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,570 residents.
How common is Lindley?
Lindley ranks #3,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.27 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 9,777 people with the surname Lindley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.27 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 Lindley.
Has Lindley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindley went from 10,260 recorded bearers to 9,777. That is a decrease of 483 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,482 to #3,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Lindley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (8,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Lindley (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 Lindley mean?
From the linden tree meadow or clearing. 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 Lindley (3.27 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 Lindley?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lindley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.