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

Wagley, 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 Wagley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wagley in America

Wagley is the 24648th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wagley surname appeared 1,013 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 Wagley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wagley 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 Wagley

The surname Wagley is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wag" and "leah," which together meant "wooded hill or ridge."

The name was initially found in various counties across southern and central England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Robert de Waggeleye, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1194, and Walter de Waggeleg, whose name appeared in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Wagley. However, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as Waggelega in Warwickshire and Wagelei in Leicestershire, which may have been the areas where the name originated.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Wagley was John Wagley, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1430 and served as a magistrate during the reign of King Henry VI. Another notable figure was William Wagley, a clergyman who lived in the 16th century and was the rector of Bampton, Oxfordshire, from 1564 until his death in 1591.

In the 17th century, Richard Wagley (c. 1620-1684) was a prominent English merchant and landowner who held estates in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. His son, also named Richard Wagley (1657-1727), became a member of parliament for Wootton Bassett, a borough in Wiltshire.

Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Wagley (1765-1842), who was a British naval officer and served as a captain during the Napoleonic Wars. He was involved in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wagley surname in America dates back to 1635, when John Wagley arrived in Virginia from England as an indentured servant. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of the American colonies and played roles in the Revolutionary War and the expansion westward.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wagley

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

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

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

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