2000
#12,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Overly
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a shore, riverbank, or slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,322 Americans carry the last name Overly. That puts it at #14,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overly 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,612
Census rank
#14,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,025 bearers of the surname Overly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overly, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Overly
The surname Overly is of English origin, emerging in the counties of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ofer" meaning "over" and "leah" meaning "a meadow" or "clearing in a forest." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow situated above a particular location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Overly name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1195, which mentions a William de Overleye. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a John de Overley from Yorkshire. These early spellings, such as Overleye and Overley, highlight the name's evolution over time.
In the 14th century, the Overly name appeared in various manorial records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire. These rolls documented a John Overley who held land in the village of Sandal in 1379. Additionally, the Poll Tax Returns of 1381 recorded a Robert Overley from the county of Nottinghamshire.
Notable individuals bearing the Overly surname include Sir William Overly (1560-1638), a member of the English Parliament and landowner in Huntingdonshire. Another prominent figure was Thomas Overly (1685-1762), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol who funded the construction of several almshouses for the poor.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Overly name spread throughout England, with branches of the family establishing themselves in counties such as Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Warwickshire. One notable example is Richard Overly (1720-1792), a renowned clockmaker from Derby whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the gentry.
In the 19th century, John Overly (1815-1887), a pioneering industrialist from Manchester, played a pivotal role in the development of textile manufacturing machinery, contributing significantly to the Industrial Revolution.
While the Overly surname has its roots in the English countryside, it has since spread around the world, carried by emigrants and settlers to various corners of the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overly
Among Census respondents with the surname Overly, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Overly 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 Overly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 1,799
- Two or more races4.7% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- Black or African American2.0% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overly
Overly 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
#13,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,201
+2 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 913 places
2020
#14,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
-176 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 487 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,833 | 2,199 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,746 | 2,201 | 0.75 | +2 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 913 places |
| 2020 | #14,233 | 2,025 | 0.68 | -176 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 487 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 Overly 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 | #13,746 | #14,233 | -3.5% |
| Count | 2,201 | 2,025 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.68 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overly bearers went from 2,201 to 2,025 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 487 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,746 to #14,233.
FAQ
Overly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overly?
Name Census estimates that about 2,322 living Americans carry the surname Overly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,612 residents.
How common is Overly?
Overly ranks #14,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,025 people with the surname Overly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Overly.
Has Overly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overly went from 2,201 recorded bearers to 2,025. That is a decrease of 176 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,746 to #14,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Overly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overly, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Overly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (1,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Overly (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 Overly mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a shore, riverbank, or slope. 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 Overly (0.68 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 Overly?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Overly is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.