2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Liney
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a lineage or family line.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Liney. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liney 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 Liney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Liney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liney
The surname Liney has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lin," meaning a pool, lake, or waterfall. This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who resided near such water sources.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Liney can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named Radulfus de la Line is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "de la Line," further reinforces the connection to the Old English word for a body of water.
During the 13th century, the surname Liney appeared in various historical records, such as the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1269, where a Richard de la Lyne is listed. The spelling "Lyne" was a common variation at the time, and it is thought to have been influenced by the Old French word "ligne," meaning a line or boundary.
In the 14th century, the surname Liney gained prominence in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Worcestershire mention a John de la Lyne, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 for Gloucestershire include a Thomas de la Lyne.
One notable individual bearing the surname Liney was Sir Henry Liney, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He was born around 1370 in Gloucestershire and served as a member of the English Parliament for the county in 1402 and 1406.
Another significant figure was John Liney, a 16th-century English explorer and navigator. He was born in Bristol around 1510 and is known for his voyages to the West Indies and the Caribbean, where he mapped several islands and made valuable contributions to the field of cartography.
In the 17th century, the surname Liney gained recognition with the artist and engraver Peter Liney, who was born in London in 1618. His works included intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects, which were highly sought after by collectors during his lifetime.
The 18th century saw the rise of the poet and playwright Samuel Liney, who was born in Worcestershire in 1739. He is best known for his satirical plays and poems that commented on the social and political issues of his time.
In the 19th century, the Liney surname was associated with the industrialist and philanthropist William Liney, born in Manchester in 1824. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was known for his charitable contributions to educational institutions and local communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liney
Among Census respondents with the surname Liney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Liney 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 Liney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 101
- Black or African American5.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liney
Liney 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,120 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,120 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,113 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 Liney 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 | #140,157 | #144,270 | -2.9% |
| Count | 119 | 117 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liney bearers went from 119 to 117 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #144,270.
FAQ
Liney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liney?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Liney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Liney?
Liney ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Liney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Liney.
Has Liney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liney went from 119 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Liney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liney, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Liney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Liney (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 Liney mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a lineage or family line. 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 Liney (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 last name Liney?
See how many people have the last name Liney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.