2000
#8,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Wadley
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "woodland clearing near a ford."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,259 Americans carry the last name Wadley. That puts it at #8,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wadley 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 Wadley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,478
Census rank
#8,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,714 bearers of the surname Wadley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wadley
The surname Wadley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wad" meaning "ford" and "leah" meaning "a woodland clearing or meadow." It likely originated in the county of Berkshire, England, where there is a town called Wadley located near the River Ock.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wadley dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Wadelei." This historical record suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.
Wadley is also believed to be a locational surname, meaning it was initially adopted by families who lived in or near the town of Wadley in Berkshire. As people began to migrate to other parts of the country, they often took on the name of their place of origin as a means of identification.
One notable figure with the surname Wadley was John Wadley, born in 1596 in Faringdon, Berkshire. He was a wealthy merchant and benefactor who funded the construction of the Wadley Almshouses in Faringdon, which still stand today.
Another significant individual was Sir Thomas Wadley (1630-1682), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hindon, Wiltshire, during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, Samuel Wadley (1714-1784) was a renowned Anglican clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Whitechapel, London.
The Wadley family also had a presence in the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of William Wadley, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1634.
Finally, George Wadley (1818-1891) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Science (now part of Imperial College London).
While the surname Wadley is not among the most common in England or the United States, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and continues to be associated with notable figures in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wadley
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wadley 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 Wadley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.8% · 1,923
- Black or African American38.1% · 1,416
- Two or more races5.1% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wadley
Wadley 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
#8,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,968
+370 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 95 places
2020
#8,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,714
-254 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,437 | 3,598 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,342 | 3,968 | 1.35 | +370 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 95 places |
| 2020 | #8,512 | 3,714 | 1.24 | -254 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 170 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 Wadley 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 | #8,342 | #8,512 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,968 | 3,714 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.24 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wadley bearers went from 3,968 to 3,714 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,342 to #8,512.
FAQ
Wadley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wadley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,259 living Americans carry the surname Wadley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,478 residents.
How common is Wadley?
Wadley ranks #8,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,714 people with the surname Wadley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Wadley.
Has Wadley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wadley went from 3,968 recorded bearers to 3,714. That is a decrease of 254 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,342 to #8,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Wadley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadley, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Wadley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (1,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wadley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.8%), Black (38.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Wadley (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 Wadley mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "woodland clearing near a ford." 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 Wadley (1.24 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 Americans have the surname Wadley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.