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

Stanly, 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 Stanly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stanly in America

Stanly is the 49177th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stanly surname appeared 428 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Stanly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stanly 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 Stanly

The surname STANLY is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'stan' meaning stone and 'leah' meaning a clearing or meadow. It is believed to have emerged as a locational surname, referring to individuals who lived near a stony clearing or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname STANLY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Stanlei'. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the STANLY name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where several villages and manors bore variations of the name, such as Stanleigh, Staneley, and Stanleye. These place names likely contributed to the further proliferation of the surname in those areas.

Notable historical figures bearing the STANLY surname include John Stanly (c. 1350-1414), a member of the English Parliament and landowner in Derbyshire. Another prominent individual was Sir John Stanly (1456-1508), who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under King Henry VII.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the surname began to solidify into its modern form of STANLY. One significant figure from this era was Sir William Stanly (1548-1630), a landowner and Member of Parliament who played a role in the establishment of the English colony in Virginia.

Moving into the 17th century, Edward Stanly (1609-1671) was a prominent Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Taunton, Massachusetts. His grandson, John Stanly (1663-1744), became a notable merchant and served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

During the 18th century, the STANLY name continued to be associated with influential individuals, such as John Stanly (1714-1789), a British Army officer who served in the French and Indian War. Another notable figure was John Stanly (1763-1833), a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina.

Throughout its history, the STANLY surname has maintained a strong presence, particularly in England and the United States, reflecting its enduring legacy as a locational surname with roots dating back to the medieval era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stanly

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

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 Stanly 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 Stanly 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 Stanly was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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