2000
#4,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,928
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Pulley
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pulleys or a person living near a drawwell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,840 Americans carry the last name Pulley. That puts it at #4,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pulley 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 Pulley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,773
Census rank
#4,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,709 bearers of the surname Pulley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pulley
The surname Pulley is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from an occupational name, referring to someone who was involved in the manufacture or operation of pulleys, which were mechanical devices used for lifting and moving heavy objects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pulley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1275, where a person named Richard le Puliere is mentioned. This spelling variation, "le Puliere," reflects the Old French influence on the English language during that time.
The name Pulley is also associated with various place names in England, particularly in the county of Gloucestershire. For example, the village of Pulley, located near Tewkesbury, is believed to have taken its name from the Pulley family who resided there during the 13th and 14th centuries.
In the 16th century, the surname Pulley appeared in several historical records, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1524, which mentions a John Pulley. Another notable example is the will of William Pulley, a yeoman from Gloucestershire, dated 1578.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Pulley have achieved recognition in various fields. One such person was Sir Christopher Pulley (1565-1626), an English judge who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King James I. Another notable figure was John Pulley (1638-1714), a English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
In the literary world, Pauline Pulley (1909-1993) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for her works set in the American South. Meanwhile, in the realm of sports, Clive Pulley (born 1955) was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the 1970s and 1980s.
Additionally, the name Pulley has been associated with several places in the United States, such as Pulley's Mill, a historic grist mill located in Virginia, and Pulley Ridge, an underwater ridge in the Gulf of Mexico known for its diverse marine ecosystem.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pulley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pulley 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 Pulley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 5,078
- Black or African American25.0% · 1,928
- Two or more races4.7% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pulley
Pulley 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
#4,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,007
+79 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#4,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,709
-298 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,134 | 7,928 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,435 | 8,007 | 2.71 | +79 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #4,463 | 7,709 | 2.58 | -298 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 28 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 Pulley 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 | #4,435 | #4,463 | -0.6% |
| Count | 8,007 | 7,709 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.71 | 2.58 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pulley bearers went from 8,007 to 7,709 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,435 to #4,463.
FAQ
Pulley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pulley?
Name Census estimates that about 8,840 living Americans carry the surname Pulley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,773 residents.
How common is Pulley?
Pulley ranks #4,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,709 people with the surname Pulley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pulley.
Has Pulley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pulley went from 8,007 recorded bearers to 7,709. That is a decrease of 298 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,435 to #4,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Pulley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pulley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (5,078 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pulley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (25.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Pulley (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 Pulley mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pulleys or a person living near a drawwell. 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 Pulley (2.58 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 Pulley?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Pulley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.