2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Polleys
A variant spelling of Polleys, a surname derived from the French locality name Poulley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Polleys. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polleys 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Polleys in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polleys, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polleys
The surname POLLEYS is of English origin and dates back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pol", meaning "pool" or "small body of water". This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a pool or a small pond.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where it appears as "Roger de la Polle". This spelling variation indicates that the name was originally a descriptive phrase, referring to someone who lived near a pool or pond.
In the 14th century, the surname began to appear in various forms, such as "Poley", "Pooley", and "Polley". These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period.
The name POLLEYS is also found in several historical records, including the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire from 1430, where it is recorded as "John Polley". Additionally, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1524 mention a "Thomas Pooley".
One notable figure with the surname POLLEYS was Sir John Polleys (c. 1460 - 1538), who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1512 to 1518. He was born in Oxfordshire and played a significant role in the legal system during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another individual of note was Thomas Pooley (1776 - 1857), an English engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first successful method for deep-sea diving using a rigid helmet and suit.
In the 19th century, there was a famous British artist named Edward Polleys (1824 - 1892), who was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the Royal Academy.
The name POLLEYS can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Pooley Bridge in Cumbria, which was originally recorded as "Poley" in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Sir John Polleys (1845 - 1920), a British politician and member of Parliament who served as the Secretary of State for War from 1900 to 1903.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polleys
Among Census respondents with the surname Polleys, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Polleys 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 Polleys surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polleys
Polleys 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
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-7 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 405 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 Polleys 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 | #156,044 | #156,449 | -0.3% |
| Count | 104 | 97 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polleys bearers went from 104 to 97 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,449.
FAQ
Polleys surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polleys?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Polleys. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Polleys?
Polleys ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Polleys. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Polleys.
Has Polleys become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polleys went from 104 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #156,044 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Polleys?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polleys, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Polleys in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polleys appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Polleys (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 Polleys mean?
A variant spelling of Polleys, a surname derived from the French locality name Poulley. 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 Polleys (0.03 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 share the surname Polleys?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.