Find out how popular the last name Lockley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lockley.

Lockley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lockley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lockley in America

Lockley is the 17176th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lockley surname appeared 1,649 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lockley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lockley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lockley

The surname Lockley is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from an Old English word "loc," meaning an enclosure or a lock, combined with the suffix "-ley," which denotes a clearing or a meadow. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a meadow enclosed by a fence or a gate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lockley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a William de Lockeleye from Worcestershire. The Domesday Book, an invaluable record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, does not appear to include any direct references to the Lockley surname, though it may have been spelled differently at the time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Lokelay, Lokeley, and Lokley, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that era. The variant Lockley seems to have become more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Notable individuals who bore the Lockley surname include John Lockley (c. 1540-1598), an English Protestant reformer and author of several religious works. Another notable figure was William Lockley (1786-1862), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned navigator and cartographer.

In the 19th century, Edward Lockley (1819-1892) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Samuel Lockley (1828-1910), a British politician and industrialist, served as a Member of Parliament for Heywood from 1885 to 1892.

One of the more recent historical figures was Ernest Lockley (1889-1963), a British author and journalist known for his works on social and political issues, including his critically acclaimed book "The Diary of a Plain Man" published in 1919.

While the Lockley surname has roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and the establishment of new communities. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insights into the origins and early development of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lockley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lockley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lockley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lockley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lockley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lockley, please contact us.

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