2000
#854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.67
Uncommon Last name
Finley
Derived from the Irish place name Fionnloch, meaning "fair-haired courageous one" or "fair warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,499 Americans carry the last name Finley. That puts it at #946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finley 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 Finley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,259
Census rank
#946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,189 bearers of the surname Finley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finley
The surname Finley has its origins in Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "fionn" meaning "white" or "fair," and "laith" meaning "warrior" or "champion." The name was likely given to someone with fair hair who was a skilled fighter.
The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of documents recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Finlay" in these rolls.
In the 15th century, the name was recorded as "Fynlay" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
One notable person with the surname Finley was John Finley, born in 1797, who was a Scottish-American explorer and author. He is best known for his expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the early 19th century and his book "Life Among the Indians."
Another prominent figure was Robert Finley, born in 1772, who was a Presbyterian minister and a prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery in the United States. He founded the American Colonization Society in 1816, which aimed to establish a colony in Africa for free African Americans.
In the 18th century, the name was also associated with the Finley family of Staffordshire, England. One member of this family, John Finley, born in 1725, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor who patented several innovative timepiece designs.
The name Finley has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Finleyston in Renfrewshire and Finleyrig in Lanarkshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.
Another notable person with the surname Finley was Samuel Finley, born in 1715, who was a Presbyterian minister and the fifth president of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. He played a significant role in the development of higher education in the American colonies.
These are just a few examples of the historical prominence and geographical spread of the surname Finley, which has its roots in the Scottish Highlands but has since been carried to various parts of the world by those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finley
Among Census respondents with the surname Finley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Finley 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 Finley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 25,140
- Black or African American20.8% · 7,525
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,602
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,250
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 431
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 241
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finley
Finley 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
#922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,672
+798 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 12.77
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,189
-1,483 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 12.11
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #854 | 36,874 | 13.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #922 | 37,672 | 12.77 | +798 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #946 | 36,189 | 12.11 | -1,483 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 24 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 Finley 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 | #922 | #946 | -2.6% |
| Count | 37,672 | 36,189 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 12.77 | 12.11 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finley bearers went from 37,672 to 36,189 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #922 to #946.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Finley
FAQ
Finley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finley?
Name Census estimates that about 41,499 living Americans carry the surname Finley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,259 residents.
How common is Finley?
Finley ranks #946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,189 people with the surname Finley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Finley.
Has Finley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finley went from 37,672 recorded bearers to 36,189. That is a decrease of 1,483 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #922 to #946.
What does the Census say about the background of Finley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Finley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (25,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (20.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Finley (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 Finley mean?
Derived from the Irish place name Fionnloch, meaning "fair-haired courageous one" or "fair warrior." 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 Finley (12.11 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 common is the surname Finley?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Finley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.