2000
#5,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Raley
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow or a person who maintained roads.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,863 Americans carry the last name Raley. That puts it at #5,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,942 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raley 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 Raley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,942
Census rank
#5,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,985 bearers of the surname Raley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raley
The surname Raley is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely deriving from a topographic name referring to a person who lived near a rail or boundary fence. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "ræl" or "rægel," meaning "rail" or "bar."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Rayley.
Another early record of the name is in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which lists a William de la Reyle. This spelling variation highlights the influence of the Norman French language on English surnames during this period.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Rayle, Ralle, and Raleigh, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings at the time. One notable individual from this era was Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618), an English writer, poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer, who played a prominent role in the English Renaissance.
The Raley surname has also been associated with several place names throughout England, including Raleigh in Devon, Raleys in Essex, and Raleys Manor in Hertfordshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Raley include:
1. William Raley (c. 1580-1659), an English merchant and member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. John Raley (c. 1640-1720), an English soldier who served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
3. Mary Raley (c. 1710-1795), an English author and poet known for her work "The Poetic Garland."
4. Thomas Raley (c. 1780-1848), an English industrialist and founder of the Raley Iron Works in Birmingham.
5. Elizabeth Raley (1829-1901), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded the Raley Academy for Young Ladies in Pennsylvania.
While the surname Raley may have evolved over time and across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely derived from a topographic name related to boundary markers or fences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raley
Among Census respondents with the surname Raley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Raley 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 Raley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 5,255
- Two or more races4.3% · 255
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 220
- Black or African American2.9% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raley
Raley 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
#5,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,593
+169 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#5,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,985
-608 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,012 | 6,424 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,281 | 6,593 | 2.24 | +169 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #5,608 | 5,985 | 2.00 | -608 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 327 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 Raley 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 | #5,281 | #5,608 | -6.2% |
| Count | 6,593 | 5,985 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.00 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raley bearers went from 6,593 to 5,985 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 327 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,281 to #5,608.
FAQ
Raley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,863 living Americans carry the surname Raley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,942 residents.
How common is Raley?
Raley ranks #5,608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,985 people with the surname Raley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Raley.
Has Raley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raley went from 6,593 recorded bearers to 5,985. That is a decrease of 608 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,281 to #5,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Raley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Raley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (5,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Raley (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 Raley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a meadow or a person who maintained roads. 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 Raley (2.00 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 last name Raley?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Raley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.