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

Surles, 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 Surles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Surles in America

Surles is the 12121st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Surles surname appeared 2,572 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Surles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Surles 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 Surles

The surname SURLES is of English origin, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "sur," meaning sour or bitter, which was likely a descriptive nickname for someone with a surly or ill-tempered disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SURLES surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273. Here, a certain John Surles was listed as a resident of the village of Leighton Buzzard.

Another historical reference to the SURLES name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Surles is recorded as a taxpayer in the village of Bromsgrove.

The surname SURLES has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Surles, Surless, Surlass, and Surleys. These variations likely emerged due to inconsistent spellings and regional dialects in medieval England.

One notable individual bearing the SURLES surname was Sir John Surles (1456-1518), a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1512 and was knighted by King Henry VIII for his service.

Another historical figure was Robert Surles (1582-1647), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Sutton Valence in Kent from 1619 until his death.

In the 17th century, a branch of the SURLES family settled in the American colonies, with records showing a William Surles (1630-1690) among the early settlers of Virginia.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Thomas Surles (1612-1678) fought on the Parliamentarian side and later served as a member of the Rump Parliament under Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate.

Lastly, a notable literary figure with the SURLES surname was the poet and playwright William Surles (1795-1861), whose works included the popular play "The Lady of the Lake" and several volumes of poetry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Surles

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

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

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

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