2000
#3,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,382
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.11
Rare Last name
Hundley
Derived from a place name meaning "hound lea," referring to a meadow or clearing associated with hunting dogs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,139 Americans carry the last name Hundley. That puts it at #4,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hundley 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 Hundley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,505
Census rank
#4,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,970 bearers of the surname Hundley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hundley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hundley
The surname Hundley is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Hundleby or Hundelby in Lincolnshire. The name is thought to have originated from the Old Norse words "hundr," meaning hound or dog, and "by," meaning a farmstead or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hundley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as Hundelby. This document was a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I. The name is also mentioned in the Inquisitiones Nonarum of 1341, which was a tax assessment record.
During the medieval period, the Hundley family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. They were likely landowners or tenant farmers in these areas. In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve, with variations such as Hundeley, Hundly, and Hundley emerging.
One notable individual with the surname Hundley was John Hundley, a wealthy merchant and landowner born in Yorkshire in the late 15th century. He is recorded as having owned significant properties in the city of York and its surrounding areas.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Hundley, a member of the English gentry born in Lincolnshire in 1597. He served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham during the reign of King Charles I and was known for his staunch Royalist sympathies during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the Hundley family also had a presence in the American colonies. Thomas Hundley, born in England in 1620, was one of the early settlers in Virginia. He established a plantation in the area that later became Henrico County and was a prominent figure in the local community.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, individuals with the surname Hundley continued to make their mark in various fields. Benjamin Hundley, born in Virginia in 1747, was a noted lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and as a judge.
In the literary realm, Eliza Hundley, born in Alabama in 1824, was a celebrated poet and author. Her works, which often explored themes of Southern life and the Civil War, were widely published in her lifetime.
While the name Hundley has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era and the small villages of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, where the name first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hundley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hundley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hundley 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 Hundley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 6,146
- Black or African American14.2% · 1,129
- Two or more races4.1% · 328
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hundley
Hundley 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
#4,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,532
+150 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#4,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,970
-562 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,891 | 8,382 | 3.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,152 | 8,532 | 2.89 | +150 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #4,309 | 7,970 | 2.67 | -562 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 157 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 Hundley 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 | #4,152 | #4,309 | -3.8% |
| Count | 8,532 | 7,970 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.89 | 2.67 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hundley bearers went from 8,532 to 7,970 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,152 to #4,309.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hundley
FAQ
Hundley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hundley?
Name Census estimates that about 9,139 living Americans carry the surname Hundley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,505 residents.
How common is Hundley?
Hundley ranks #4,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,970 people with the surname Hundley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hundley.
Has Hundley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hundley went from 8,532 recorded bearers to 7,970. That is a decrease of 562 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,152 to #4,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Hundley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hundley, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) 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 Hundley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (6,146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hundley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.2%), 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 Hundley (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 Hundley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hound lea," referring to a meadow or clearing associated with hunting dogs. 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 Hundley (2.67 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 Hundley?
Find out how many people are called Hundley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.