2000
#2,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.79
Uncommon Last name
Lyles
Derived from a place name meaning "island" in Old French, or from the Norman French word for "lilies."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,298 Americans carry the last name Lyles. That puts it at #2,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,815 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lyles 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 Lyles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,815
Census rank
#2,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,085 bearers of the surname Lyles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lyles
The surname Lyles has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lele." This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Warwickshire. Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms, such as Lele, Leyle, Leyles, and eventually Lyles.
In the 13th century, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. This is evidenced by records from that time, which mention individuals with the name Lyles or similar variations.
One notable figure bearing the surname Lyles was John Lyles (c. 1420-1490), a prominent merchant and landowner from Worcestershire. He played a significant role in the local economy and is mentioned in several historical documents from the 15th century.
During the 16th century, the name Lyles began to spread beyond its traditional heartland in the West Midlands region. This was likely due to migration and the expansion of trade and commerce. One example from this period is William Lyles (c. 1550-1620), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, the name Lyles gained further prominence with the rise of Sir Edward Lyles (1619-1688), a respected lawyer and Member of Parliament for the borough of Ludlow in Shropshire. He was known for his involvement in the English Civil War and his support for the Parliamentary cause.
Another notable figure from this era was Mary Lyles (c. 1640-1710), a renowned herbalist and apothecary from Gloucestershire. Her knowledge of medicinal plants and remedies was widely sought after, and she is mentioned in several contemporary accounts.
As the name Lyles continued to spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and, eventually, to the colonies in North America and other parts of the world. This migration contributed to the further diversification of the name and its various spellings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lyles
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lyles 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 Lyles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 7,717
- White38.6% · 5,819
- Two or more races5.6% · 840
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 567
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lyles
Lyles 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
#2,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,062
+430 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 5.45
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#2,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,085
-977 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,128 | 15,632 | 5.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,265 | 16,062 | 5.45 | +430 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #2,354 | 15,085 | 5.05 | -977 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 89 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 Lyles 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 | #2,265 | #2,354 | -3.9% |
| Count | 16,062 | 15,085 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.45 | 5.05 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lyles bearers went from 16,062 to 15,085 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,265 to #2,354.
FAQ
Lyles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lyles?
Name Census estimates that about 17,298 living Americans carry the surname Lyles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,815 residents.
How common is Lyles?
Lyles ranks #2,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,085 people with the surname Lyles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Lyles.
Has Lyles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lyles went from 16,062 recorded bearers to 15,085. That is a decrease of 977 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,265 to #2,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Lyles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lyles, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lyles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (7,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lyles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.2%), White (38.6%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Lyles (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 Lyles mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "island" in Old French, or from the Norman French word for "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 Lyles (5.05 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 Lyles?
If you just want to know how many people are called Lyles, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.