2000
#5,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Rare Last name
Wooley
Derived from a place name or a nickname referring to a person with a head of thick, curly hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,521 Americans carry the last name Wooley. That puts it at #5,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wooley 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 Wooley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,562
Census rank
#5,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,687 bearers of the surname Wooley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wooley
The surname "Wooley" originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English words "wull" and "leah," which together mean a meadow where wool was produced or processed. This name was initially given as a topographic name to individuals who lived near such meadows or were involved in the wool trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Wooley" can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, and Gloucestershire. It was often spelled as "Wulley," "Wulleye," or "Wolleleye" in ancient records and medieval manuscripts.
One notable historical reference to the name "Wooley" is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Wolleleye is listed as a taxpayer. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1268 mention a Roger de Wulleye.
In the 14th century, the surname "Wooley" appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a Thomas de Wulleye was recorded as a landowner. Around the same time, a John Wolleleye was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Wooley." One of the earliest was Sir John Wooley (c. 1535-1594), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Wooley (1591-1666), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Clonfert in Ireland.
In the 18th century, Edward Wooley (1665-1733) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer, best known for his work on the calculation of cometary orbits. Later, in the 19th century, John Wooley (1790-1869) was a British landscape painter and etcher, renowned for his depictions of rural scenes.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname "Wooley" was Sir Leonard Wooley (1880-1960), a renowned British archaeologist and explorer who excavated several ancient sites in the Middle East, including the city of Ur in modern-day Iraq.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the surname "Wooley" throughout history, reflecting its English roots and association with the wool trade and meadows of medieval times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wooley
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wooley 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 Wooley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 4,356
- Black or African American13.8% · 784
- Two or more races5.1% · 288
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wooley
Wooley 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
#5,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,109
-67 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 483 places
2020
#5,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,687
-422 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,196 | 6,176 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,679 | 6,109 | 2.07 | -67 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 483 places |
| 2020 | #5,854 | 5,687 | 1.90 | -422 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 175 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 Wooley 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 | #5,679 | #5,854 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,109 | 5,687 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.90 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wooley bearers went from 6,109 to 5,687 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,679 to #5,854.
FAQ
Wooley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wooley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,521 living Americans carry the surname Wooley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,562 residents.
How common is Wooley?
Wooley ranks #5,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 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 5,687 people with the surname Wooley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,521), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 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 Wooley.
Has Wooley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wooley went from 6,109 recorded bearers to 5,687. That is a decrease of 422 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,679 to #5,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Wooley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wooley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Wooley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (4,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wooley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Wooley (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 Wooley mean?
Derived from a place name or a nickname referring to a person with a head of thick, curly hair. 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 Wooley (1.90 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 Wooley?
Find out how many people are called Wooley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.