2000
#2,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.88
Uncommon Last name
Medley
A habitational surname referring to someone living near a meadow or a piece of low-lying grassland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,805 Americans carry the last name Medley. That puts it at #2,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medley 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 Medley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,151
Census rank
#2,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,911 bearers of the surname Medley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medley, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medley
The surname Medley is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "med-leah," which translates to "meadow clearing" or "meadow enclosure." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in or near a meadow or clearing in a woodland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "de Medlei." This spelling variation indicates that the name was likely associated with a specific place name or location during that time.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is recorded as "Medeleye." This further supports the connection between the name and a particular place or settlement.
The Medley surname has also been linked to the village of Medley in Buckinghamshire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Medelai." This suggests that some early bearers of the name may have originated from or lived in this area.
Notable individuals with the surname Medley throughout history include:
1. John Medley (c. 1608-1666), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as the Provost of Eton College.
2. Samuel Medley (1738-1799), an English Baptist minister and hymn writer, known for compositions like "O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth."
3. George Webb Medley (1828-1898), an English-born Canadian statesman and Premier of the Colony of Newfoundland from 1885 to 1886.
4. Sir John Medley (1804-1892), an English judge and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
5. William Medley (1834-1920), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and represented the Marylebone Cricket Club.
While the Medley surname has maintained a presence throughout the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely derived from a place name associated with a meadow or clearing in a wooded area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medley
Among Census respondents with the surname Medley, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Medley 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 Medley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 8,711
- Black or African American23.9% · 3,087
- Two or more races4.6% · 592
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 396
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medley
Medley 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
#2,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,630
+478 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,911
-719 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.32
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,520 | 13,152 | 4.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,641 | 13,630 | 4.62 | +478 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,723 | 12,911 | 4.32 | -719 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 82 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 Medley 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 | #2,641 | #2,723 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,630 | 12,911 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.62 | 4.32 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medley bearers went from 13,630 to 12,911 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,641 to #2,723.
FAQ
Medley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medley?
Name Census estimates that about 14,805 living Americans carry the surname Medley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,151 residents.
How common is Medley?
Medley ranks #2,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,911 people with the surname Medley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Medley.
Has Medley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medley went from 13,630 recorded bearers to 12,911. That is a decrease of 719 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,641 to #2,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Medley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medley, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Medley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (8,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Medley (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 Medley mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone living near a meadow or a piece of low-lying grassland. 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 Medley (4.32 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 surname Medley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.