2000
#1,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.21
Uncommon Last name
Bagley
An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Bagley, meaning "badger clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,935 Americans carry the last name Bagley. That puts it at #2,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bagley 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 Bagley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,102
Census rank
#2,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,512 bearers of the surname Bagley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bagley
The surname Bagley is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, specifically in the counties of Worcestershire and Shropshire. It is derived from the Old English words "baec" meaning "ridge" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or clearing in the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bagley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bageleia" in reference to a place in Worcestershire. This suggests that the surname may have initially been a place name before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Baggelay," "Bageleye," and "Bagelie," reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. Records from this time period mention individuals with the name Bagley living in various parts of Worcestershire and Shropshire.
One notable figure from history bearing the surname Bagley was Sir William Bagley (c. 1380-1456), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire. Another was John Bagley (c. 1490-1560), a wealthy merchant and benefactor from Bristol, who endowed several charitable institutions in the city.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Bagley was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. During this period, the spelling "Bagley" became more standardized.
One famous bearer of the name was Sir Edward Bagley (1616-1673), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southwark, who played a significant role during the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period.
Another notable figure was John Bagley (1678-1737), a prominent English merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, who founded several charitable institutions and bequeathed substantial sums for the education of poor children.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Bagley surname continued to be prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in the Midlands and the West Country. Some notable individuals from this period include Sir Richard Bagley (1733-1811), a successful English merchant and landowner, and William Bagley (1769-1846), an English clergyman and author of several theological works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bagley
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bagley 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 Bagley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 12,542
- Black or African American15.9% · 2,629
- Two or more races3.8% · 634
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 521
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bagley
Bagley 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
#2,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,324
+585 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 5.87
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#2,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,512
-812 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.52
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,979 | 16,739 | 6.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,089 | 17,324 | 5.87 | +585 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #2,138 | 16,512 | 5.52 | -812 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 49 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 Bagley 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 | #2,089 | #2,138 | -2.3% |
| Count | 17,324 | 16,512 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.87 | 5.52 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bagley bearers went from 17,324 to 16,512 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,089 to #2,138.
FAQ
Bagley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bagley?
Name Census estimates that about 18,935 living Americans carry the surname Bagley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,102 residents.
How common is Bagley?
Bagley ranks #2,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,512 people with the surname Bagley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Bagley.
Has Bagley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bagley went from 17,324 recorded bearers to 16,512. That is a decrease of 812 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,089 to #2,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Bagley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bagley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (12,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bagley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (15.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bagley (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 Bagley mean?
An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Bagley, meaning "badger clearing." 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 Bagley (5.52 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 Bagley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.