2000
#1,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.20
Uncommon Last name
Oakley
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a field of oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,022 Americans carry the last name Oakley. That puts it at #2,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oakley 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 Oakley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,019
Census rank
#2,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,588 bearers of the surname Oakley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oakley
The surname Oakley originated from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'ac' meaning oak and 'leah' meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. Thus, the name literally means 'oak clearing' or 'oak meadow'.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1195, where it was written as 'de Ackeley'. In the 13th century, the spelling evolved to 'Ockley' and 'Okeley', before eventually becoming 'Oakley'.
The name is closely associated with various places in England, particularly Oakley in Staffordshire, Oakley in Hampshire, and Oakley in Buckinghamshire. These place names are derived from the same Old English roots as the surname and were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Aclei', 'Acelie', and 'Achelei', respectively.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir William Oakley, who was born in 1285 and served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Oakley, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Essex from 1558 to 1574.
In the 17th century, John Oakley (1609-1678) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as the Recorder of London from 1671 until his death. His contemporary, Sir Thomas Oakley (1626-1692), was a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1666.
The 18th century saw the rise of Sir Charles Oakley (1751-1826), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He later served as the Governor of Antigua and Barbuda from 1810 to 1815.
Throughout history, the Oakley surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, law, politics, and military service. Its enduring presence in England for over eight centuries reflects its deep roots and historical significance within the country's cultural fabric.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oakley
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Oakley 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 Oakley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 13,506
- Black or African American9.7% · 1,606
- Two or more races4.3% · 709
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 540
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 110
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oakley
Oakley 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
#2,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,238
+505 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.84
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#2,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,588
-650 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 5.55
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,984 | 16,733 | 6.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,099 | 17,238 | 5.84 | +505 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #2,123 | 16,588 | 5.55 | -650 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 24 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 Oakley 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 | #2,099 | #2,123 | -1.1% |
| Count | 17,238 | 16,588 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.84 | 5.55 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oakley bearers went from 17,238 to 16,588 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,099 to #2,123.
FAQ
Oakley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oakley?
Name Census estimates that about 19,022 living Americans carry the surname Oakley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,019 residents.
How common is Oakley?
Oakley ranks #2,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,588 people with the surname Oakley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Oakley.
Has Oakley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oakley went from 17,238 recorded bearers to 16,588. That is a decrease of 650 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,099 to #2,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Oakley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Oakley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (13,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oakley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Oakley (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 Oakley mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a field of oak trees. 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 Oakley (5.55 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 Oakley?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Oakley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.