2000
#7,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Tooley
Derived from a place name meaning "at the clearing" in Old English, or referring to a toolmaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,776 Americans carry the last name Tooley. That puts it at #7,666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tooley 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 Tooley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,766
Census rank
#7,666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,165 bearers of the surname Tooley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tooley
The surname Tooley is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "toll", which referred to a payment or tax. The name likely originated in areas where toll roads or bridges were located, such as in the counties of Kent and Surrey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tooley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1190, which mentions a Richard de Tolly. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Tooley, including a John de Tolli and a Walter Tolli.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1315, which listed a Thomas de Tolly. The Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 also mentioned a John Tolly.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Tooley was particularly prevalent in the county of Kent. One notable individual was Robert Tooley (1582-1667), a prominent merchant and politician from Canterbury who served as the city's mayor in 1628.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Thomas Tooley (1608-1675), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Canterbury in the 1660s. He was also a prominent supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with various locations, such as Tooley Street in Southwark, London, which was named after a family of builders and craftsmen who lived in the area. John Tooley (1732-1803) was a renowned English clockmaker from Southwark who gained recognition for his exceptional timepieces.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname Tooley, including Sarah Tooley (1805-1875), an English author and poet known for her works on domestic life and moral instruction.
Another remarkable figure was William Tooley (1823-1891), a renowned English geographer and cartographer who published numerous atlases and maps, including the highly acclaimed "Tooley's County Atlases of the British Isles".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tooley
Among Census respondents with the surname Tooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tooley 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 Tooley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 3,491
- Black or African American8.4% · 349
- Two or more races4.2% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tooley
Tooley 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
#7,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,371
+222 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#7,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,165
-206 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,409 | 4,149 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,605 | 4,371 | 1.48 | +222 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #7,666 | 4,165 | 1.39 | -206 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 61 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 Tooley 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 | #7,605 | #7,666 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,371 | 4,165 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.39 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tooley bearers went from 4,371 to 4,165 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,605 to #7,666.
FAQ
Tooley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tooley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,776 living Americans carry the surname Tooley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,766 residents.
How common is Tooley?
Tooley ranks #7,666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,165 people with the surname Tooley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,776), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Tooley.
Has Tooley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tooley went from 4,371 recorded bearers to 4,165. That is a decrease of 206 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,605 to #7,666.
What does the Census say about the background of Tooley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tooley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (3,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tooley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Tooley (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 Tooley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the clearing" in Old English, or referring to a toolmaker. 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 Tooley (1.39 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 surname Tooley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.