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

Twilley, 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 Twilley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Twilley in America

Twilley is the 17775th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Twilley surname appeared 1,576 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 Twilley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Twilley 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 Twilley

The surname Twilley is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Twywell or Twywill in Northamptonshire. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "twi" meaning "double" and "well" meaning "spring" or "stream," suggesting a place with two springs or streams.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, where it appears as "de Twywell." This indicates that the name was already in use as a locational surname by the late 12th century.

The Domesday Book of 1086 does not explicitly mention the surname Twilley, but it does reference the village of "Towelle" or "Tuewelle," which may be an early spelling of the place name from which the surname originated.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various forms, such as "de Twywill" and "de Twywell." This variation in spelling was common during this period, as there was no standardized system for recording names.

One notable bearer of the name was Robert Twywell, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1390 to 1397.

Another early record of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1387, which mentions a "John Twywell."

In the 16th century, the spelling "Twilley" began to appear more frequently. One example is Thomas Twilley, who was born around 1520 and served as the Archdeacon of Richmond from 1564 until his death in 1597.

During the 17th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including Richard Twilley (1608-1677), an English Puritan minister and author, and John Twilley (1637-1697), a prominent lawyer and author of legal treatises.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was William Twilley (1742-1819), an English clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Deptford and published several religious works.

As the surname spread beyond its place of origin, it continued to be recorded in various forms, including Twilly, Twylly, and Twylley, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Twilley

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

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

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

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