2000
#16,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Murley
A habitational surname derived from Morley, a town in West Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,742 Americans carry the last name Murley. That puts it at #18,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 196,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murley 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 Murley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 196,759
Census rank
#18,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,519 bearers of the surname Murley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murley
The surname Murley is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "mor" meaning "moor" or "marsh," and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the name likely referred to a person who lived near a marshy clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled "de Morleye." This reference suggests that the name may have initially been a place name before becoming a surname, which was a common practice in medieval England.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Morley" and "Murley," in records from counties like Yorkshire and Lancashire. This indicates that the name was well-established in northern England during this period.
Several notable individuals bearing the Murley surname have been recorded throughout history. One such person was John Murley, a merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived in the late 15th century. Another was William Murley, a prominent landowner in Derbyshire, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for that county in 1558.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Virginia Colony in North America. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Thomas Murley, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
During the 18th century, the Murley family was well-established in counties like Staffordshire and Warwickshire. A notable member of this family was Samuel Murley, a respected clergyman and author who lived from 1735 to 1821.
In more recent times, the name has been associated with several prominent figures, including Sir John Murley (1898-1976), a British diplomat and civil servant, and Charles Murley (1904-1957), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
Overall, the surname Murley has a long and varied history, with its origins rooted in the Old English language and its earliest records found in medieval England. While the name has evolved in spelling over the centuries, it has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murley
Among Census respondents with the surname Murley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Murley 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 Murley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,360
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 67
- Two or more races3.8% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 14
- Black or African American0.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murley
Murley 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
#16,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,709
+77 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 463 places
2020
#18,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,519
-190 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,271 | 1,632 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,734 | 1,709 | 0.58 | +77 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 463 places |
| 2020 | #18,093 | 1,519 | 0.51 | -190 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 1,359 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 Murley 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 | #16,734 | #18,093 | -8.1% |
| Count | 1,709 | 1,519 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.51 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murley bearers went from 1,709 to 1,519 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 1,359 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,734 to #18,093.
FAQ
Murley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murley?
Name Census estimates that about 1,742 living Americans carry the surname Murley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 196,759 residents.
How common is Murley?
Murley ranks #18,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,519 people with the surname Murley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Murley.
Has Murley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murley went from 1,709 recorded bearers to 1,519. That is a decrease of 190 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,734 to #18,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Murley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Murley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Murley (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 Murley mean?
A habitational surname derived from Morley, a town in West Yorkshire, England. 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 Murley (0.51 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 Murley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.