2000
#2,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,512
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.27
Uncommon Last name
Smalley
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "small clearing" or "small wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,387 Americans carry the last name Smalley. That puts it at #3,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,670 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smalley 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 Smalley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,670
Census rank
#3,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,802 bearers of the surname Smalley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smalley
The surname Smalley is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "smæl" meaning "small" or "slender," combined with the Old English word "leah" meaning "a clearing in a forest" or "meadow." It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a small clearing or meadow.
The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Smaleia" and "Smalelei." These early forms suggest that the name was initially applied as a topographic surname, referring to a specific location or settlement.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared as "Smaleleye" and "Smaleye" in various records from Lancashire and Cheshire, indicating that the name was prevalent in these areas of northern England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named Richard de Smaleye is mentioned.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was also associated with several notable individuals. In the 14th century, a man named John Smaleleye was recorded as a merchant in the city of York.
In the 15th century, a Robert Smalley (1400-1462) from Yorkshire served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Hedon in 1432 and 1435.
Another notable figure was John Smalley (1530-1591), an English Catholic priest and writer who was born in Derbyshire. He was known for his religious works and his opposition to the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the name was William Smalley (1637-1678), an English clergyman and author who served as a rector in Suffolk.
In the 18th century, John Smalley (1734-1820) was a Baptist minister and author from Connecticut, who played a significant role in the development of the Baptist church in America.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including Smaleley, Smawley, Smaley, and Smallie, among others. The modern spelling of "Smalley" became more standardized in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smalley
Among Census respondents with the surname Smalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Smalley 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 Smalley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 8,899
- Black or African American9.3% · 1,008
- Two or more races4.0% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 323
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smalley
Smalley 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
#3,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,737
+225 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#3,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,802
-935 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 3.61
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,866 | 11,512 | 4.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,055 | 11,737 | 3.98 | +225 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #3,263 | 10,802 | 3.61 | -935 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 208 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 Smalley 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 | #3,055 | #3,263 | -6.8% |
| Count | 11,737 | 10,802 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.98 | 3.61 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smalley bearers went from 11,737 to 10,802 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,055 to #3,263.
FAQ
Smalley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smalley?
Name Census estimates that about 12,387 living Americans carry the surname Smalley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,670 residents.
How common is Smalley?
Smalley ranks #3,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,802 people with the surname Smalley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Smalley.
Has Smalley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smalley went from 11,737 recorded bearers to 10,802. That is a decrease of 935 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,055 to #3,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Smalley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Smalley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (8,899 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smalley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (9.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Smalley (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 Smalley mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "small clearing" or "small wood" in Old English. 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 Smalley (3.61 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 Smalley?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Smalley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.