Find out how popular the last name Standley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Standley.

Standley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Standley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Standley in America

Standley is the 7421st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Standley surname appeared 4,486 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Standley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Standley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Standley

The surname Standley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. It emerged in the 12th century as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a stony meadow or clearing.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Standley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Stanlei". This version of the name was a reference to a place in Derbyshire, known as Stanley or Stanlee.

During the Middle Ages, the name underwent various spelling variations such as Standley, Stanlee, Standleigh, and Standly. These variations were common due to inconsistent spelling practices and regional dialects of the time.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Standley, who lived in the 15th century and served as the Lord of the Manor of Standish. He was a prominent figure in Lancashire and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses.

Another historical figure was Thomas Standley, born in 1625, who was a Puritan minister and one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut. He was a prominent figure in the early colonial days of New England.

In the 18th century, John Standley, born in 1743, was a notable English inventor and engineer. He is credited with developing several improvements to the steam engine and other industrial machinery.

The name Standley has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Standley Bridge in Gloucestershire and Standley Abbey in Wiltshire. These places likely derived their names from the surname or vice versa.

Other notable individuals bearing the surname Standley include Henry Standley (1812-1892), a British politician and Member of Parliament, and Charles Standley (1857-1932), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Standley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Standley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Standley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Standley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Standley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Standley, please contact us.

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