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

Markley, 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 Markley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Markley in America

Markley is the 4679th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Markley surname appeared 7,581 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Markley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Markley 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 Markley

The surname Markley has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "meare" meaning boundary or border, and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. Together, these words combined to form the place name "Mereleah," which eventually evolved into the surname Markley.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Markley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Merleai." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings throughout England, indicating that the Markley name was already well-established by the late 11th century.

During the 13th century, the Markley surname appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as "Merlegh." This variation highlights the fluid nature of surname spellings in those times, as they were often adapted based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.

In the 16th century, one notable individual bearing the Markley name was Thomas Markley, who lived in Kent and was recorded in the parish records of Maidstone in 1579. Another early bearer of the name was John Markley, born in 1602 in Worcestershire, who later migrated to the American colonies in the mid-17th century, becoming one of the earliest Markleys in the New World.

Other prominent individuals with the Markley surname include:

1. Sir Robert Markley (1621-1689), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of Charles II.
2. William Markley (1763-1835), an American politician and delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania.
3. Joseph Markley (1799-1876), an American businessman and industrialist, who founded the Markley Banking Company in Pennsylvania.
4. Mary Evelyn Markley (1878-1964), a British writer and novelist, best known for her works set in the English countryside.
5. Walter Markley (1905-1983), an American artist and illustrator, renowned for his paintings depicting rural life in the American Midwest.

Throughout history, variations of the Markley surname have also been found, such as Markly, Marklie, and Marklye, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the influence of local dialects on surname spellings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Markley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!