2000
#7,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Weekley
Derived from a nickname referring to a person with a cheerful or lively disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,502 Americans carry the last name Weekley. That puts it at #8,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Weekley 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 Weekley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,134
Census rank
#8,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,926 bearers of the surname Weekley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Weekley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Weekley
The surname Weekley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wic" and "leah," meaning a village or settlement in a clearing or meadow. This name originated in the medieval period, likely around the 11th or 12th century.
The name is believed to have originated in the counties of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, where there are several places with similar names, such as Wickham and Wyken. The earliest recorded instance of the name Weekley is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Wichelai" in Hertfordshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was Robert de Wikeley, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1195. Another was John Wikeley, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1327.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records with different spellings, including Wekeley, Wekelay, and Weekelie. One notable bearer from this period was Thomas Weekeley, a merchant from London who was born around 1520 and is mentioned in records from the Court of Chancery.
During the 17th century, the name was commonly spelled as Weekley or Weekley. A prominent individual with this surname was Sir Erasmus Weekley (1611-1681), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire.
In the 18th century, the name continued to be associated with the counties of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. One notable bearer was William Weekley (1738-1812), a farmer and landowner from the village of Tring in Hertfordshire.
In the 19th century, the name spread more widely across England, and some bearers of the name emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly North America and Australia. One notable individual from this period was Ernest Weekley (1865-1954), an English philologist and author who is best known for his works on the etymology of English words.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Weekley
Among Census respondents with the surname Weekley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Weekley 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 Weekley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,393
- Black or African American5.9% · 232
- Two or more races3.7% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Weekley
Weekley 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
#8,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,072
-4 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 610 places
2020
#8,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,926
-146 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,529 | 4,076 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,139 | 4,072 | 1.38 | -4 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 610 places |
| 2020 | #8,081 | 3,926 | 1.31 | -146 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 58 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 Weekley 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 | #8,139 | #8,081 | 0.7% |
| Count | 4,072 | 3,926 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.31 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Weekley bearers went from 4,072 to 3,926 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,139 to #8,081.
FAQ
Weekley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Weekley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,502 living Americans carry the surname Weekley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,134 residents.
How common is Weekley?
Weekley ranks #8,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,926 people with the surname Weekley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Weekley.
Has Weekley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Weekley went from 4,072 recorded bearers to 3,926. That is a decrease of 146 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,139 to #8,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Weekley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Weekley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Weekley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Weekley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Weekley (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 Weekley mean?
Derived from a nickname referring to a person with a cheerful or lively disposition. 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 Weekley (1.31 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 surname Weekley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.