2000
#5,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,622
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Tolley
Derived from a place name meaning "Toli's clearing," referring to a person who lived near such a clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,404 Americans carry the last name Tolley. That puts it at #5,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolley 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 Tolley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,522
Census rank
#5,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,585 bearers of the surname Tolley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolley
The surname Tolley is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "tol" meaning tax or toll, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a tollgate or who worked as a toll collector.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where a Robert de Tolley is mentioned. Other early spellings include Tolle, Tolly, and Tolley.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with names similar to Tolley, such as Tollesbia in Lincolnshire and Toleslunt in Essex, suggesting that the name may have originated from a specific location.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Tolley was Sir John Tolley (c. 1510-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 16th century.
Another prominent figure was Sir Samuel Tolley (1642-1718), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1692-1693.
In the literary world, the name is associated with Henry Valentine Tolley (1785-1856), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and moral philosophy.
During the American Revolutionary War, Nathaniel Tolley (1755-1830) served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several major battles.
In more recent times, Sir William Tolley (1900-1988) was a British civil servant and diplomat who played a significant role in the transition of India to independence in 1947.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Tolley, a name with deep roots in the English language and historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolley
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolley 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 Tolley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 4,917
- Two or more races4.8% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 196
- Black or African American2.8% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolley
Tolley 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
#6,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,726
+104 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 346 places
2020
#5,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,585
-141 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Up 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,659 | 5,622 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,005 | 5,726 | 1.94 | +104 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 346 places |
| 2020 | #5,936 | 5,585 | 1.87 | -141 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 69 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 Tolley 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 | #6,005 | #5,936 | 1.1% |
| Count | 5,726 | 5,585 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.87 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolley bearers went from 5,726 to 5,585 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,005 to #5,936.
FAQ
Tolley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,404 living Americans carry the surname Tolley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,522 residents.
How common is Tolley?
Tolley ranks #5,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,585 people with the surname Tolley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tolley.
Has Tolley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolley went from 5,726 recorded bearers to 5,585. That is a decrease of 141 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,005 to #5,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Tolley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (4,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Tolley (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 Tolley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Toli's clearing," referring to a person who lived near such a clearing. 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 Tolley (1.87 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 Tolley?
If you just want to know how many people are called Tolley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.