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

Paley, 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 Paley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paley in America

Paley is the 18401st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paley surname appeared 1,505 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Paley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paley 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 Paley

The surname Paley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "pælig" or "palig," meaning a small enclosed area or enclosure. This surname is believed to have originated in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The name Paley was initially concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to have been an occupational surname, given to individuals who lived or worked near a small enclosed area or who were involved in managing or maintaining such enclosures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Palei" or "Palli." This suggests that the name was already established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname was recorded as "Paly" and "Paley" in various documents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. During this period, the name was often associated with specific locations, such as "Paley of Paley" or "Paley of Barnoldswick," indicating the connection between the surname and local place names.

Notable individuals with the surname Paley include William Paley (1743-1805), an English clergyman and philosopher who authored the famous work "Natural Theology." Another prominent figure was Frederick Apthorp Paley (1815-1888), a classical scholar and editor of various ancient Greek texts.

In the 19th century, the surname Paley was also associated with the influential Paley family of Yorkshire, which included several prominent members, such as Edmund Paley (1819-1904), a renowned architect and author, and Frederick John Paley (1838-1913), a noted cricketer and lawyer.

Other notable individuals with the surname Paley include Grace Paley (1922-2007), an American short story writer and poet, and Albert Paley (born 1944), a renowned American sculptor known for his large-scale metalworks.

While the surname Paley has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and the establishment of new communities by individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!