2000
#19,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Ullery
A topographical surname referring to someone living near a willow tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,390 Americans carry the last name Ullery. That puts it at #21,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 246,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ullery 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
1.4K
1 in 246,586
Census rank
#21,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,212 bearers of the surname Ullery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ullery
The surname "ULLERY" is believed to have originated in England, likely in the northern parts of the country, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "ullr," which means "woolen" or "wool-bearing," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with wool or in the textile industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire from the late 12th century, where a person named "Hamo Ullery" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time, although the spelling may have varied.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, including "Ullerie," "Ullery," and "Ullrie," in records from counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. These variations in spelling were common during that era, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Ullery, a merchant from York, who is mentioned in the city's guild records from the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was William Ullery, a farmer and landowner from Lincolnshire, who lived in the mid-15th century.
During the Tudor period, the name appears to have spread more widely across England, with records showing Ullerys in counties such as Kent, Essex, and Wiltshire. One example is Richard Ullery, a yeoman from Kent, who was mentioned in a land deed from 1557.
In the 17th century, the name is found in various parish records and court documents, indicating that the Ullery family had established itself in various parts of the country. For instance, Thomas Ullery (1628-1692) was a prominent landowner and magistrate in Gloucestershire, while John Ullery (1670-1741) was a successful merchant in London.
As the centuries passed, members of the Ullery family continued to leave their mark in various fields, such as agriculture, commerce, and public service. Notable individuals include Sir Robert Ullery (1782-1856), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Elizabeth Ullery (1818-1897), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ullery
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ullery 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 Ullery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,109
- Two or more races3.8% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ullery
Ullery 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
#21,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,251
-20 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,390 places
2020
#21,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,212
-39 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 861 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,629 | 1,271 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,019 | 1,251 | 0.42 | -20 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 1,390 places |
| 2020 | #21,880 | 1,212 | 0.41 | -39 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 861 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 Ullery 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 | #21,019 | #21,880 | -4.1% |
| Count | 1,251 | 1,212 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.41 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ullery bearers went from 1,251 to 1,212 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 861 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,019 to #21,880.
FAQ
Ullery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ullery?
Name Census estimates that about 1,390 living Americans carry the surname Ullery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 246,586 residents.
How common is Ullery?
Ullery ranks #21,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,212 people with the surname Ullery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ullery.
Has Ullery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ullery went from 1,251 recorded bearers to 1,212. That is a decrease of 39 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,019 to #21,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Ullery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ullery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Ullery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ullery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Ullery (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 Ullery mean?
A topographical surname referring to someone living near a willow tree. 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 Ullery (0.41 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 Ullery?
Find out how many people have the surname Ullery on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.