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

Northey, 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 Northey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Northey in America

Northey is the 28940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Northey surname appeared 821 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Northey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Northey 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 Northey

The surname Northey originated in England during the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from one of the several places named "Northey" or similar spellings, such as Northay, Northia, or Northeye. These place names were formed from the Old English words "norþ" meaning north and "eg" meaning island or dry ground.

The earliest known record of the surname Northey appears in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1273, where one William de Northeye is mentioned. Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John de Northye.

In the 14th century, records show the name was also spelled as Northie, Northy, and Northi. Some notable individuals from this period include Robert Northey, a landowner in Gloucestershire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1380, and William Northey, a tax collector in Somerset recorded in the Feudal Aids of 1428.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Northey appeared in various parish records and historical documents across southern England. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Northey, born in 1543 in Wiltshire, who served as a church warden in his local parish.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Edward Northey (1652-1723), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for England and Wales from 1708 to 1711. He was also a Member of Parliament for Tiverton and a prominent figure in the legal profession of his time.

In the 18th century, the Northey surname can be found in several genealogical records and historical documents. Examples include Thomas Northey (1698-1768), a clergyman and author from Devon, and William Northey (1716-1786), a landowner and justice of the peace in Gloucestershire.

Other notable individuals with the surname Northey include Alfred Northey (1836-1908), a British army officer who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and Edward Northey (1828-1890), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Honduras (now Belize) from 1884 to 1890.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Northey

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

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

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

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