2000
#4,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Utley
From the Old English personal name Uhtlāg, meaning "outlaw" or "outsider," or referring to someone from Utley, West Yorkshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,157 Americans carry the last name Utley. That puts it at #4,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Utley 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 Utley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 42,020
Census rank
#4,819
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,113 bearers of the surname Utley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Utley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Utley
The surname Utley is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name Utley, a town in West Yorkshire, England. The name itself is thought to stem from the Old English words "ut" meaning "out" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow," suggesting that the name referred to a clearing or meadow located outside of a larger settlement.
The earliest known record of the surname Utley dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190. This ancient document, which recorded financial transactions and taxes, mentions an individual named Willelmus de Utlay, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 13th century, the surname Utley is found in various medieval records, including the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire from 1246, which mentions a John de Utelay. This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
The Utley surname has also been connected to several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was John Utley, a prosperous merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, England, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another was Sir Thomas Utley, a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench in the late 17th century (born in 1635, died in 1706).
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Utley surname continued to appear in various records across England, particularly in the northern regions. The Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire from 1672 list several individuals with the Utley surname, indicating their presence in the area.
In the 19th century, one notable figure with the Utley surname was Robert Utley, a British engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and locomotives (born in 1804, died in 1887).
Another individual of note was Thomas Utley, an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century (born in 1832, died in 1876).
As the centuries progressed, the Utley surname spread beyond its Yorkshire origins, with individuals bearing the name found in various parts of England and, later, in other English-speaking countries such as the United States and Canada, as a result of immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Utley
Among Census respondents with the surname Utley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Utley 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 Utley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 5,270
- Black or African American16.0% · 1,140
- Two or more races4.9% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 281
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Utley
Utley 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
#4,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,385
+136 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 280 places
2020
#4,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,113
-272 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,508 | 7,249 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,788 | 7,385 | 2.50 | +136 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 280 places |
| 2020 | #4,819 | 7,113 | 2.38 | -272 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 31 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 Utley 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 | #4,788 | #4,819 | -0.6% |
| Count | 7,385 | 7,113 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.38 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Utley bearers went from 7,385 to 7,113 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,788 to #4,819.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Utley
FAQ
Utley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Utley?
Name Census estimates that about 8,157 living Americans carry the surname Utley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,020 residents.
How common is Utley?
Utley ranks #4,819 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,113 people with the surname Utley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Utley.
Has Utley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Utley went from 7,385 recorded bearers to 7,113. That is a decrease of 272 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,788 to #4,819.
What does the Census say about the background of Utley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Utley, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Utley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (5,270 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Utley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Utley (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 Utley mean?
From the Old English personal name Uhtlāg, meaning "outlaw" or "outsider," or referring to someone from Utley, West Yorkshire. 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 Utley (2.38 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 Utley?
Find out how many people are called Utley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.