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

Manley, 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 Manley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Manley in America

Manley is the 1413th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Manley surname appeared 25,136 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Manley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Manley 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 Manley

The surname Manley originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mann" meaning man and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. Thus, the name Manley refers to a person who lived near a meadow or clearing.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Manley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as Manleye, Manlie, and Manlye.

During the Middle Ages, the Manley family held lands in several counties, including Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. One notable member of the family was Sir John Manley (1534-1611), who served as a Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1586.

In the 17th century, the Manley family gained prominence in Cheshire, where they owned the estate of Manley Hall. Sir Roger Manley (1665-1728) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.

Another notable figure was Mary de la Rivière Manley (1672-1724), an English writer and playwright who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of her time. She is best known for her satirical works and her involvement in the literary feud between the Whigs and Tories.

In the 18th century, John Manley (1733-1803) was a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and rose to the rank of Admiral. He was also a Member of Parliament for Newtown on the Isle of Wight.

The Manley surname can also be traced to the village of Manley in Cheshire, which further reinforces the connection between the name and the geographical location. Several other places in England, such as Manley Bank in Staffordshire and Manley Common in Devon, bear the name, indicating the widespread distribution of the family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Manley

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

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 Manley 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 Manley 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 Manley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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