Lyes
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a meadow or field.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Lyes. That puts it at #150,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyes 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.
Lyes appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#150,436
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Lyes in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (34.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lyes
The surname LYES is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. The name appears to have Anglo-Saxon roots, as it is derived from the Old English word "leah," which means "woodland" or "clearing." Over time, the name evolved through various spellings, including Lye, Lyes, and Lees. These variations were common as early forms of surnames were frequently altered for phonetic reasons or clerical errors.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 13th century in England. One notable record is of Robert de Lye, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census ordered by King Edward I of England. The name was also listed in the tax records of the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, indicating the presence of a John de Lye.
As the name Lyes spread across England, it began appearing in different regions and in various forms. In the 16th century, Thomas Lyes, born around 1580, was a known figure in Devonshire. His family played a prominent role in local governance and commerce, contributing to the regional history of the surname.
Through the 17th century, the name continued to be prominent in England. Dr. Richard Lyes, born in 1613 and died in 1673, was a respected academic and clergyman. He was renowned for his scholarly contributions and served as a fellow at Oxford University. His works were often cited in academic circles, highlighting the intellectual legacy of the Lyes name.
During the late 18th century, the name began to appear in colonial America, brought over by English settlers. An example is William Lyes who emigrated in 1772 and settled in Virginia. His descendants became influential in the early American society, participating in the formation of local government and community development.
In the 19th century, the industrial revolution saw the migration of many families, including those with the surname Lyes, to burgeoning urban centers. One such individual was James Lyes, born in 1824, who became an industrialist in Manchester. His innovative approaches to manufacturing processes significantly impacted the city's economic growth.
Throughout history, the surname Lyes has maintained a presence in various regions and records. While it has sometimes been overshadowed by its more common variants, the name's roots in Old English terminology for natural landscapes reflect a connection to the pastoral heritage of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyes
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (34.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Lyes surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.0%
- White34.0%
- Hispanic or Latino6.0%
FAQ
Lyes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyes?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Lyes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Lyes?
Lyes ranks #150,436 in the 2000 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 2000 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Lyes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Lyes.
Has Lyes become more or less common over time?
Lyes appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.0%. The next largest groups are White (34.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%). These figures come from the 2000 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lyes in the 2000 Census, accounting for 60.0%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are Black (60.0%), White (34.0%), Hispanic (6.0%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Lyes appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Lyes mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a meadow or field. 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 2000 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 Lyes (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 common is the surname Lyes?
See how many Americans have the surname Lyes on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.