2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pacley
Locational surname deriving from a place name referring to a clearing or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pacley. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pacley 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pacley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pacley
The surname Pacley is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "pacc" meaning pack or bundle, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting a possible meaning of "the meadow where packs were loaded or unloaded."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Robert de Pacleia is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been associated with a particular location or settlement.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various medieval records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1345, which mention a John Pacley. This document provides evidence of the name's presence in the region during that time period.
The Pacley surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Packley Green in Warwickshire and Packley Farm in Worcestershire. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname and may have influenced its development.
Notable individuals with the Pacley surname throughout history include:
1. Sir William Pacley (c. 1480 - 1558), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. Thomas Pacley (1560 - 1635), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, known for his philanthropic endeavors.
3. Elizabeth Pacley (1620 - 1678), an English Puritan writer and religious reformer, known for her influential works on theology and moral philosophy.
4. John Pacley (1712 - 1796), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
5. Margaret Pacley (1845 - 1922), a British educator and pioneering advocate for women's education, who founded one of the first girls' schools in Birmingham.
While the Pacley surname may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, it has a rich history and connections to various regions and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pacley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pacley 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 Pacley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.4% · 98
- Two or more races10.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- White1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pacley
Pacley appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 12,119 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 Pacley 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 | #154,907 | #142,788 | 7.8% |
| Count | 105 | 119 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pacley bearers went from 105 to 119 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pacley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pacley?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pacley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pacley?
Pacley ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Pacley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pacley.
Has Pacley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pacley went from 105 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 14 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pacley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pacley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pacley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.4%), Two or More Races (10.1%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Pacley (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 Pacley mean?
Locational surname deriving from a place name referring to a clearing or meadow. 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 Pacley (0.04 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 Pacley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.