Explore the Family Name Softley

The meaning of Softley

Scottish and northern English: habitational name from Softley in Auckland (Durham), Softlaw in Sprouston (Roxburghshire), or Softley in Knaresdale (Northumberland). The Durham and Roxburgh placenames derive from Old English sōfte ‘soft’+ hlāw ‘hill’, thus ‘hill with spongy soil’ or ‘gentle or pleasing hill’. The Northumberland placename derives from Old English sōfte + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Softley in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Softley has seen an increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Softley ranked 105,374 in popularity with a count of 157 and a proportion per 100k of 0.06. However, by 2010, it jumped up in rank to 93,921, with a count of 195 and a proportion per 100k increasing to 0.07. This change represents an approximate growth rate of 24.2% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#105,374	#93,921	10.87%
Count	157	195	24.2%
Proportion per 100k	0.06	0.07	16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Softley

When it comes to ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that individuals with the surname Softley primarily identify as White or Black. In 2000, about 63.69% identified as White and 35.67% identified as Black. By 2010, these percentages slightly decreased to 62.56% for Whites and 34.36% for Blacks. Notably, 2010 saw the emergence of a small percentage (2.56%) identifying with two or more races. The census reported no changes in the number of Softleys identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	63.69%	62.56%	-1.77%
Black	35.67%	34.36%	-3.67%
Two or More Races	0%	2.56%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%