2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Underly
A locational surname referring to one who lived in a lowland area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Underly. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Underly 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Underly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Underly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Underly
The surname Underly has its roots in England, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Underleigh, which was found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1332.
According to historical records, the name Underly was most prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have originated from an Old English word that meant "under the lea" or "under the meadow," referring to a settlement located in a lowland area near a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Underley, who was documented in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379. Another notable figure was William Underley, a landowner from Derbyshire, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
In the 16th century, the name Underly began to appear in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One of the earliest examples was Thomas Underly, who was baptized in the village of Hartshorne, Derbyshire, in 1578.
During the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of England, including London and the surrounding counties. One notable bearer was Robert Underly, a merchant from London, who was recorded in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642.
In the 18th century, the name Underly continued to be found in various parts of England, with some bearers emigrating to the American colonies. One such individual was John Underly, who was born in Staffordshire in 1712 and later settled in Virginia.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Underly, including:
1. Richard Underly (1620-1687), an English merchant and landowner from Derbyshire.
2. Elizabeth Underly (1678-1742), a renowned portraitist from Nottinghamshire.
3. Samuel Underly (1738-1801), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
4. William Underly (1795-1868), an English inventor and engineer from Staffordshire.
5. Margaret Underly (1832-1912), a philanthropist and social reformer from Derbyshire.
The surname Underly, while not as common as some other English surnames, has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, military personnel, inventors, and philanthropists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Underly
Among Census respondents with the surname Underly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Underly 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 Underly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Underly
Underly 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,303 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,303 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,130 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 Underly 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 | #141,140 | #144,270 | -2.2% |
| Count | 118 | 117 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Underly bearers went from 118 to 117 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #144,270.
FAQ
Underly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Underly?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Underly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Underly?
Underly ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Underly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Underly.
Has Underly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Underly went from 118 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Underly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Underly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Underly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Underly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Underly (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 Underly mean?
A locational surname referring to one who lived in a lowland area. 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 Underly (0.04 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 Underly?
Find out how common the surname Underly is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.