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

Urey, 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 Urey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Urey in America

Urey is the 30043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Urey surname appeared 781 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Urey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Urey 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 Urey

The surname UREY originates from England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Ure in Yorkshire, which means "yew-tree stream" in Old English.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the UREY surname can be found in the parish records of Westhampnett, Sussex, where a William Urey was listed in 1593. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1628, which mention a Richard Urey.

The UREY name appears to have spread from Yorkshire to other parts of northern England, with various spellings such as Urey, Urrey, and Urry appearing in historical records. In the late 17th century, the surname is also found in Scotland, particularly in the Aberdeenshire area, suggesting migration from England.

One notable bearer of the UREY surname was Harold Clayton Urey (1893-1981), an American physical chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery of the heavy hydrogen isotope deuterium. He played a significant role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and later worked on the exploration of the Moon and the origin of the solar system.

Other notable individuals with the UREY surname include:

1. John Urey (1605-1670), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark in the 17th century.

2. William Urey (1752-1828), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

3. Mary Urey (1799-1878), an English novelist and poet known for her works exploring themes of social injustice and women's rights.

4. Robert Urey (1847-1923), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the steel industry and donated significant funds to educational institutions in Scotland and the United States.

5. Elizabeth Urey (1892-1975), an American educator and activist who advocated for the rights of children with disabilities and played a crucial role in establishing special education programs in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Urey

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

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

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

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