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

Wakeley, 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 Wakeley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wakeley in America

Wakeley is the 27392nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wakeley surname appeared 881 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 Wakeley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wakeley 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 Wakeley

The surname Wakeley originated in England, with records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to be a habitational name derived from a place called Wakeley or Wakeleigh, which is thought to have been located in either Devon or Somerset. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "wacol," meaning "a watchman," and "leah," meaning "a meadow or clearing."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wakeley can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Robert de Wakeleg is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls were records of tax assessments made by the government at the time.

The Wakeley surname also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1379, where a John Wakeley is listed. These records were used to collect taxes from the local population.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records, such as the registers of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, where a William Wakeley was baptized in 1592.

One notable individual with the Wakeley surname was Sir Thomas Wakeley (1595-1672), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who represented Somerset in the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.

Another prominent figure was John Wakeley (1751-1826), an English farmer and agricultural writer who published several works on improving farming practices in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In the 19th century, William Henry Wakeley (1801-1875) was a notable English surgeon and medical writer who made significant contributions to the field of surgery.

The name Wakeley can also be found in various historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as court rolls, manorial records, and wills, indicating its presence in various parts of England during those times.

One interesting historical reference is the mention of a Wakeley family in the records of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in the late 17th century, suggesting that some members of the Wakeley family were among the early Quakers in England.

While the Wakeley surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wakeley

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

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

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

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