2000
#869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.51
Uncommon Last name
Haley
From an English place name meaning "hay clearing," or a person who lived near or worked in one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,059 Americans carry the last name Haley. That puts it at #962 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haley 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 Haley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,348
Census rank
#962
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,805 bearers of the surname Haley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 962nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haley
The surname Haley is of English origin, derived from a place name referring to a hayfield or meadow. It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name is thought to stem from the Old English words 'haeg' meaning hedge or enclosure, and 'leah' meaning a clearing or meadow. It was common practice during this time for individuals to adopt surnames based on their place of residence or association with a particular location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Haley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Halegh' in reference to a settlement in the county of Kent. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as 'de Halegh' and 'atte Hale', indicating that it was still closely tied to specific localities. Over time, the spelling evolved into the modern form of 'Haley'.
Notable individuals with the surname Haley include Sir William Haley (c.1459-1516), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. Another early bearer of the name was John Haley (c.1575-1654), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Rowley, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, William Haley (1741-1819) was a prominent English printer and publisher, while in the 19th century, John Haley (1828-1912) was an American Civil War veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor.
More recently, the name has been associated with individuals such as the American author and journalist Alex Haley (1921-1992), best known for his novel 'Roots', and the English actor and comedian Brendan Haley (1932-2016).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haley
Among Census respondents with the surname Haley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Haley 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 Haley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 28,036
- Black or African American13.1% · 4,692
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,458
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,157
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 239
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 223
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haley
Haley 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
#917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,858
+1,425 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 12.83
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,805
-2,053 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 11.98
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #869 | 36,433 | 13.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #917 | 37,858 | 12.83 | +1,425 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #962 | 35,805 | 11.98 | -2,053 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 45 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 Haley 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 | #917 | #962 | -4.9% |
| Count | 37,858 | 35,805 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.83 | 11.98 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haley bearers went from 37,858 to 35,805 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #917 to #962.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Haley
FAQ
Haley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haley?
Name Census estimates that about 41,059 living Americans carry the surname Haley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,348 residents.
How common is Haley?
Haley ranks #962 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.98 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 35,805 people with the surname Haley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.98 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 Haley.
Has Haley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haley went from 37,858 recorded bearers to 35,805. That is a decrease of 2,053 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #917 to #962.
What does the Census say about the background of Haley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Haley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (28,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Haley (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 Haley mean?
From an English place name meaning "hay clearing," or a person who lived near or worked in one. 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 Haley (11.98 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 last name Haley?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Haley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.