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

Storey, 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 Storey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Storey in America

Storey is the 2635th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Storey surname appeared 13,669 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Storey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Storey 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 Storey

The surname Storey is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "stor" meaning a person who lived near a large wood or grove. It first appeared in the 11th century in areas around Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, with entries for "Stori" in Yorkshire and "Sturai" in Lancashire. These early spellings reflect the Old English pronunciation and spelling variations common at the time.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Storey, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199. The "de" prefix indicates he hailed from a specific place called Storey.

During the 13th century, the name began appearing in various spellings such as Stori, Storii, and Storey, reflecting the evolution of the English language. Many of these early bearers likely lived near or were associated with a place called Storey, which may have derived its name from the Old English word "stor."

In the 14th century, John Storey, a merchant from York, was mentioned in records from 1379. Around the same time, a William Storey was recorded as a landowner in Lancashire in 1386.

Notable people with the surname Storey include:

1. Lancelot Storey (c.1520-1573), an English politician and Member of Parliament.
2. Samuel Storey (1651-1719), an English nonconformist minister and author.
3. Thomas Storey (1753-1828), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in Yorkshire.
4. William Storey (1792-1856), an English engineer and inventor who patented improvements to the steam engine.
5. John Storey (1826-1887), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Storey Institute in Lancaster.

The surname Storey continues to be found predominantly in England, with many bearers tracing their roots back to the northern counties where the name first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Storey

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!