2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Misley
A variant spelling of the English locational surname derived from a place called Milesley or Milsley, meaning "millers' lea".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Misley. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Misley 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Misley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Misley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Misley
The surname Misley has its roots in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "mis" meaning "wrong" or "astray" and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a poorly-kept or overgrown meadow.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Misleia." This variation in spelling was common during that era, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Mislay" and "Mysley," in records from Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. These counties are believed to be the earliest known areas where the name was prevalent.
The Misley surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest examples is Sir John Misley (c. 1350-1415), a prominent landowner and military commander who served under King Henry IV during the latter part of the Hundred Years' War.
Another distinguished bearer of the name was Elizabeth Misley (1556-1628), a wealthy heiress and patron of the arts who supported the work of renowned playwrights like William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson.
In the 18th century, Samuel Misley (1703-1785) was a respected philosopher and author who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and ethics. His works influenced the intellectual discourse of his time.
The name also gained prominence in the field of science with the contributions of Mary Misley (1819-1892), a pioneering botanist and explorer who discovered several new plant species during her expeditions to South America.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Robert Misley (1878-1957), a distinguished diplomat and statesman who served as the British Ambassador to several countries, including France and Germany, during the early 20th century.
While the Misley surname is not as common today as it once was, it has left an indelible mark on various aspects of history, from military service and the arts to academia and diplomacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Misley
Among Census respondents with the surname Misley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Misley 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 Misley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 92
- Black or African American7.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Misley
Misley 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,387 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,387 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Misley 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Misley bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Misley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Misley?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Misley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Misley?
Misley ranks #146,495 in the 2020 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 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Misley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Misley.
Has Misley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Misley went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Misley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Misley, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Misley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Misley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (7.9%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Misley (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 Misley mean?
A variant spelling of the English locational surname derived from a place called Milesley or Milsley, meaning "millers' lea". 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 Misley (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 Misley?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Misley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.