2000
#12,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Straley
Derived from a place name meaning "person from Strahle," referring to a settlement in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,532 Americans carry the last name Straley. That puts it at #13,246 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Straley 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.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,369
Census rank
#13,246
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,208 bearers of the surname Straley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13246th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Straley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Straley
The surname STRALEY has its roots in the German language and originated in the central regions of Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "strâle," which means "arrow" or "ray of light." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an archer, fletcher, or someone associated with weaponry or the production of arrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hermann Straler was mentioned as a resident in the year 1349. This indicates that the name was already in use during the 14th century in the German territories.
During the Middle Ages, the STRALEY surname was also documented in various regions of present-day Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Bern. In the Bernese municipal records from the 15th century, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Strahler, which is a variant spelling of STRALEY.
In the 16th century, the name STRALEY appeared in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the Franconian region of Bavaria. Historical records from this period mention a prominent citizen named Hans Straley, who was a successful merchant and guild member.
As the centuries progressed, the STRALEY surname spread across various parts of Europe due to migration and trade. One notable individual bearing this name was Johann Straley, a German-born composer and organist who lived from 1675 to 1737. He is renowned for his contributions to sacred music and his work as the Kapellmeister at the court of Saxe-Weissenfels.
Another significant figure with the STRALEY surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Straley, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1726 to 1801. He was a prominent figure in the field of Protestant theology and served as a professor at the University of Giessen.
In more recent history, the name STRALEY has been associated with several notable individuals, including the American writer and journalist Joseph Straley (1838-1916), who was a prominent figure in the publishing industry of the late 19th century.
Overall, the surname STRALEY has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its German origins. While the name has evolved and spread across various regions, it continues to carry the legacy of its early associations with archery, craftsmanship, and prominent figures in fields such as music, theology, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Straley
Among Census respondents with the surname Straley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Straley 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 Straley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,010
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 80
- Two or more races3.3% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Straley
Straley 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
#12,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,472
+101 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 458 places
2020
#13,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
-264 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,078 | 2,371 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,536 | 2,472 | 0.84 | +101 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 458 places |
| 2020 | #13,246 | 2,208 | 0.74 | -264 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 710 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 Straley 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 | #12,536 | #13,246 | -5.7% |
| Count | 2,472 | 2,208 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.74 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Straley bearers went from 2,472 to 2,208 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 710 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,536 to #13,246.
FAQ
Straley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Straley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,532 living Americans carry the surname Straley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,369 residents.
How common is Straley?
Straley ranks #13,246 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,208 people with the surname Straley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Straley.
Has Straley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Straley went from 2,472 recorded bearers to 2,208. That is a decrease of 264 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,536 to #13,246.
What does the Census say about the background of Straley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Straley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Straley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Straley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Straley (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 Straley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "person from Strahle," referring to a settlement in Germany. 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 Straley (0.74 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 Americans have the surname Straley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.