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

Wiley, 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 Wiley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wiley in America

Wiley is the 713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wiley surname appeared 48,720 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Wiley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wiley 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 Wiley

The surname Wiley originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "wil," meaning "to beguile" or "trick," suggesting that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone known for their cunning or deceitful nature.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Wyly, Wylie, and Wilie. It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Lanarkshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Northumberland in 1296, which mentions a John Wyly. The Wiley surname is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls from Scotland.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland from 1336, which lists a William Wyly. The Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 also records several Wiley families.

Notable individuals with the surname Wiley include Andrew Wiley (c. 1550-1615), a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, and Sir William Wiley (1590-1657), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Salisbury.

During the 17th century, the name gained prominence with individuals such as Robert Wiley (1609-1684), an English clergyman and author, and John Wiley (1661-1718), the founder of the famous publishing house John Wiley & Sons.

In the 18th century, the Wiley surname was well-established in various parts of Britain, as evidenced by records such as the Gloucestershire Parish Registers, which mention several Wiley families in the 1700s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Wiley include William Wiley (1786-1856), an American portrait painter, and Sarah Wiley Armistead (1835-1918), an American author and educator.

The Wiley surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Wiley Green in Cheshire and Wiley Village in Somerset, further solidifying its historical roots in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wiley

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

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

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

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