2000
#1,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.78
Uncommon Last name
Talley
Derived from a place name meaning "a woodland clearing" in Old English, or from the French surname Taillé.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,753 Americans carry the last name Talley. That puts it at #1,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Talley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,465
Census rank
#1,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,562 bearers of the surname Talley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talley, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talley
The surname Talley is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French name "Taillé" or "Tailley," meaning "cut" or "pruned." It is believed to have originated in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
The name may have been initially given to individuals who were employed as woodcutters or foresters, responsible for managing and maintaining woodlands. Alternatively, it could have referred to a person with a slender or trim physique.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Tailleur." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landowners and their properties throughout England.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it is listed as "Taylyor." This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Talley include Sir John Talley (1389-1459), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the Wars of the Roses. He served under King Henry VI and was knighted for his military service.
In the 16th century, William Talley (1518-1592) was a prominent English merchant and alderman of the City of London. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the construction of hospitals and almshouses.
During the American Revolutionary War, Matthew Talley (1744-1825) fought as a captain in the Continental Army under General George Washington. After the war, he became a successful farmer and landowner in Virginia.
In the realm of literature, Susan Talley (1835-1898) was an American author and poet, known for her works exploring themes of nature and spirituality. Her collection of poems, "Songs of the Sierras," gained widespread acclaim.
More recently, Beatrice Talley (1919-2003) was an American journalist and civil rights activist. She worked tirelessly to promote racial equality and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 for her contributions.
The surname Talley has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the Anglo-Norman period. From soldiers and merchants to authors and activists, individuals bearing this name have left their mark across various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talley
Among Census respondents with the surname Talley, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Talley 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 Talley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 17,870
- Black or African American27.4% · 7,830
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,365
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,005
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 259
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 233
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talley
Talley 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
#1,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,014
+932 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 10.17
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#1,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,562
-1,452 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 9.56
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,101 | 29,082 | 10.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,170 | 30,014 | 10.17 | +932 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #1,210 | 28,562 | 9.56 | -1,452 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 40 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 Talley 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 | #1,170 | #1,210 | -3.4% |
| Count | 30,014 | 28,562 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 10.17 | 9.56 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talley bearers went from 30,014 to 28,562 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,170 to #1,210.
FAQ
Talley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talley?
Name Census estimates that about 32,753 living Americans carry the surname Talley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,465 residents.
How common is Talley?
Talley ranks #1,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,562 people with the surname Talley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Talley.
Has Talley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talley went from 30,014 recorded bearers to 28,562. That is a decrease of 1,452 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,170 to #1,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Talley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talley, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Talley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (17,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (27.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Talley (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 Talley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "a woodland clearing" in Old English, or from the French surname Taillé. 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 Talley (9.56 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 common is the surname Talley?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Talley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.