2000
#7,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Teasley
Derived from a place name meaning "Teasel wood," referring to an area where teasel plants were abundant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,713 Americans carry the last name Teasley. That puts it at #7,751 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teasley 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
4.7K
1 in 72,725
Census rank
#7,751
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,110 bearers of the surname Teasley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7751st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teasley
The surname Teasley is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "tæsl," which means "teasel" or a type of prickly plant used for raising the nap on wool cloth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where it appears as "Tesselarius," referring to a person involved in the textile industry who may have worked with teasels. This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to individuals whose trade involved the use of teasels.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Teasel" in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, further reinforcing its connection to the textile industry. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as "Teasell," "Teasill," and eventually "Teasley."
The Teasley surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Teasley (c. 1545-1622), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Another prominent bearer of the name was William Teasley (1675-1743), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, England, who made significant contributions to the city's development and charitable institutions.
In the United States, the name Teasley has a rich history dating back to the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas Teasley (c. 1640-1710), who settled in Virginia and became a prominent landowner and planter in the late 17th century.
The name Teasley has also been associated with notable figures in the military. Captain John Teasley (1780-1855) was an American naval officer who served during the War of 1812 and the Barbary Wars, while Colonel James Teasley (1825-1901) was a distinguished officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
While the Teasley surname may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the textile industry and the use of teasels in England during the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teasley
Among Census respondents with the surname Teasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Teasley 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 Teasley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.0% · 1,932
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,832
- Two or more races5.3% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teasley
Teasley 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
#7,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,400
+368 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 50 places
2020
#7,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,110
-290 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,604 | 4,032 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,554 | 4,400 | 1.49 | +368 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 50 places |
| 2020 | #7,751 | 4,110 | 1.38 | -290 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 197 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 Teasley 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 | #7,554 | #7,751 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,400 | 4,110 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.38 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teasley bearers went from 4,400 to 4,110 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 197 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,554 to #7,751.
FAQ
Teasley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teasley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,713 living Americans carry the surname Teasley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,725 residents.
How common is Teasley?
Teasley ranks #7,751 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,110 people with the surname Teasley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Teasley.
Has Teasley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teasley went from 4,400 recorded bearers to 4,110. That is a decrease of 290 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,554 to #7,751.
What does the Census say about the background of Teasley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Teasley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.0% (1,932 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teasley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.0%), Black (44.6%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Teasley (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 Teasley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Teasel wood," referring to an area where teasel plants were abundant. 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 Teasley (1.38 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 people have the last name Teasley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Teasley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.