2000
#14,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Priestley
An occupational surname derived from the trade of a priest or clergyman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,248 Americans carry the last name Priestley. That puts it at #14,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Priestley 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 Priestley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,471
Census rank
#14,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,960 bearers of the surname Priestley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Priestley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Priestley
The surname Priestley originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "preost," meaning priest, and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing, making it a name given to someone who lived near the priest's meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "William de Presteley." This suggests that the name was already established in the region at that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a "Thomas de Presteley" from Derbyshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain the name Priestley, indicating that the name likely emerged after the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Priestley was William Priestley, born around 1489 in Yorkshire, England. He was a prominent churchman and served as the Rector of Bingley in West Yorkshire.
Sir William Priestley (1614-1707), born in Yorkshire, was a notable English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ripon during the reign of Charles II.
Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), born in Birstall, Yorkshire, was a renowned English scholar, theologian, and scientist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the field of chemistry, including the discovery of oxygen and the invention of soda water.
John Priestley (1805-1876), born in Yorkshire, was a prominent English industrialist and philanthropist. He founded the Priestley Wool Combing Company, which played a significant role in the textile industry of the time.
Mary Priestley (1925-2008), born in Yorkshire, was a celebrated English actress known for her roles in television and theater productions.
The name Priestley has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Priestley Green in West Yorkshire and Priestley Village in Lancashire, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Priestley
Among Census respondents with the surname Priestley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Priestley 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 Priestley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 1,466
- Black or African American15.5% · 303
- Two or more races4.1% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Priestley
Priestley 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
#15,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
-23 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,113 places
2020
#14,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
+46 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 733 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,212 | 1,937 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,325 | 1,914 | 0.65 | -23 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,113 places |
| 2020 | #14,592 | 1,960 | 0.66 | +46 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 733 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 Priestley 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 | #15,325 | #14,592 | 4.8% |
| Count | 1,914 | 1,960 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.66 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Priestley bearers went from 1,914 to 1,960 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 733 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,325 to #14,592.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Priestley
FAQ
Priestley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Priestley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,248 living Americans carry the surname Priestley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,471 residents.
How common is Priestley?
Priestley ranks #14,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,960 people with the surname Priestley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Priestley.
Has Priestley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Priestley went from 1,914 recorded bearers to 1,960. That is an increase of 46 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,325 to #14,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Priestley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Priestley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) 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 Priestley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (1,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Priestley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (15.5%), 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 Priestley (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 Priestley mean?
An occupational surname derived from the trade of a priest or clergyman. 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 Priestley (0.66 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 Priestley?
Want to know how common the surname Priestley is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.