2000
#3,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.69
Uncommon Last name
Motley
A descriptive surname referring to a person who wore multi-colored or patchwork clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,338 Americans carry the last name Motley. That puts it at #3,520 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motley 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 Motley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,231
Census rank
#3,520
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,887 bearers of the surname Motley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3520th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motley, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motley
The surname Motley originates from England, first appearing during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "mot" meaning a meeting or assembly, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests the name may have referred to a person who lived near a communal gathering place or meeting meadow.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, listed as Motleia. This indicates the name was present in Anglo-Saxon England prior to the Norman Conquest. Variations such as Motley, Mottley, and Motteley emerged over the following centuries.
In the 13th century, the name is found in records from Lancashire, with Henry de Motlegh mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246. This points to the name being particularly prominent in northern England during the Middle Ages.
The name Motley has connections to several place names, including Motley in Cheshire and Motley Hill in Wiltshire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development and spread.
Notable historical figures with the surname Motley include John Lothrop Motley (1814-1877), an American historian and diplomat known for his works on the Dutch Republic. Another prominent individual was John Motley (1714-1773), an English dramatist and playwright who wrote several popular comedies in the 18th century.
Other individuals of note bearing the Motley name include William Motley (1815-1873), an American bishop and abolitionist; Archibald Motley Jr. (1891-1981), an African American painter and pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance art movement; and Willard Motley (1909-1965), an American novelist best known for his depictions of life in Chicago.
While the Motley surname is not among the most common, it has a rich history spanning over nine centuries, with roots in the language and landscape of medieval England. Its evolution and prevalence in certain regions reflect the diverse paths surnames have taken throughout British history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motley
Among Census respondents with the surname Motley, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Motley 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 Motley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.4% · 4,979
- Black or African American39.6% · 3,916
- Two or more races5.4% · 534
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 361
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motley
Motley 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
#3,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,274
+308 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#3,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,887
-387 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,301 | 9,966 | 3.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,480 | 10,274 | 3.48 | +308 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #3,520 | 9,887 | 3.31 | -387 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 40 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 Motley 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 | #3,480 | #3,520 | -1.1% |
| Count | 10,274 | 9,887 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.31 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motley bearers went from 10,274 to 9,887 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,480 to #3,520.
FAQ
Motley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motley?
Name Census estimates that about 11,338 living Americans carry the surname Motley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,231 residents.
How common is Motley?
Motley ranks #3,520 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,887 people with the surname Motley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Motley.
Has Motley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motley went from 10,274 recorded bearers to 9,887. That is a decrease of 387 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,480 to #3,520.
What does the Census say about the background of Motley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motley, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Motley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.4% (4,979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.4%), Black (39.6%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Motley (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 Motley mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a person who wore multi-colored or patchwork clothing. 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 Motley (3.31 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 Motley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.