2000
#3,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.15
Rare Last name
Nunley
Derived from a place name meaning "from the meadow" or "from the nun's meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,967 Americans carry the last name Nunley. That puts it at #3,958 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nunley 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 Nunley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10.0K
1 in 34,389
Census rank
#3,958
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,692 bearers of the surname Nunley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3958th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nunley
The surname NUNLEY is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, specifically in the counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English words "nunnan" meaning "nun" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on lands associated with a nunnery or convent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, where a certain "Richard de Nunnelea" is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Nunnelea," provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, records from the Hundred Rolls of Derbyshire reference a "William de Nunleia," further reinforcing the connection between the name and the geographical areas it originated from.
The NUNLEY surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Nunley Hill in Staffordshire and Nunley Moor in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from the same root words as the surname, indicating that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals from those specific locations.
Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who carried the NUNLEY surname. One such person was John NUNLEY, a prominent merchant and landowner in Yorkshire during the 16th century, born around 1510 and died in 1587.
Another notable figure was William NUNLEY, a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century. Born in 1595, he is known for his influential sermons and his involvement in the establishment of several Puritan settlements.
In the 18th century, there was Thomas NUNLEY, a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Staffordshire, who lived from 1715 to 1798. His innovations in clock design and mechanisms earned him widespread recognition during his lifetime.
The NUNLEY name also appears in historical records related to the English Civil War, with mentions of soldiers and participants bearing the surname on both sides of the conflict.
Additionally, the surname can be found in various parish records, tax rolls, and legal documents throughout the centuries, further solidifying its presence in various regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nunley
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nunley 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 Nunley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 6,276
- Black or African American17.1% · 1,488
- Two or more races5.5% · 474
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 338
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nunley
Nunley 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
#3,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,046
+544 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#3,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,692
-354 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,837 | 8,502 | 3.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,936 | 9,046 | 3.07 | +544 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #3,958 | 8,692 | 2.91 | -354 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 22 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 Nunley 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 | #3,936 | #3,958 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,046 | 8,692 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.91 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nunley bearers went from 9,046 to 8,692 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,936 to #3,958.
FAQ
Nunley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nunley?
Name Census estimates that about 9,967 living Americans carry the surname Nunley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,389 residents.
How common is Nunley?
Nunley ranks #3,958 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.91 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 8,692 people with the surname Nunley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,967), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.91 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 Nunley.
Has Nunley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nunley went from 9,046 recorded bearers to 8,692. That is a decrease of 354 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,936 to #3,958.
What does the Census say about the background of Nunley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Nunley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (6,276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nunley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Nunley (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 Nunley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "from the meadow" or "from the nun's meadow" in Old English. 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 Nunley (2.91 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 Nunley?
Find out how many people have the last name Nunley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.