2000
#10,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Singley
Derived from a place name meaning "burnt clearing" or from a nickname meaning "lone" or "solitary."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,039 Americans carry the last name Singley. That puts it at #11,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Singley 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 Singley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,785
Census rank
#11,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,650 bearers of the surname Singley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Singley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Singley
The surname Singley has its origins in England, emerging in the late medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "syngelice," which means "continually" or "perpetually." This suggests that the name may have originally been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited a particular characteristic or behavior that was seen as constant or enduring.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a Robert Syngelich. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records across the West Midlands region of England, including the Shropshire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1472, where a ThomasSynggeley is listed.
The Singley surname is also linked to certain place names in England. For example, there is a hamlet called Singley in Shropshire, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name in that area.
Notable individuals with the surname Singley include:
1. John Singley (c. 1600-1680), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a chaplain during the English Civil War.
2. William Singley (1728-1795), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania.
3. Benjamin Singley (1809-1889), an American inventor and businessman from Ohio, known for developing early agricultural machinery.
4. Elizabeth Singley (1870-1942), an American educator and suffragist from Maryland.
5. Joseph Singley (1891-1976), an American artist and painter from Pennsylvania, known for his landscapes and portraiture.
While the Singley surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with origins rooted in the linguistic and cultural traditions of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Singley
Among Census respondents with the surname Singley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Singley 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 Singley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 2,233
- Black or African American9.2% · 243
- Two or more races3.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Singley
Singley 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
#10,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
+77 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 508 places
2020
#11,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,650
-263 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,416 | 2,836 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,924 | 2,913 | 0.99 | +77 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 508 places |
| 2020 | #11,377 | 2,650 | 0.89 | -263 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 453 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 Singley 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 | #10,924 | #11,377 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,913 | 2,650 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.89 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Singley bearers went from 2,913 to 2,650 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 453 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,924 to #11,377.
FAQ
Singley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Singley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,039 living Americans carry the surname Singley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,785 residents.
How common is Singley?
Singley ranks #11,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,650 people with the surname Singley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Singley.
Has Singley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Singley went from 2,913 recorded bearers to 2,650. That is a decrease of 263 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,924 to #11,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Singley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Singley, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Singley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (2,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Singley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Singley (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 Singley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "burnt clearing" or from a nickname meaning "lone" or "solitary." 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 Singley (0.89 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 Singley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Singley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.