Explore the Family Name Whiley
The meaning of Whiley
English: probably in most cases a nickname from Middle English wili ‘wily, crafty, deceitful’, though this may also be a habitational name from Wylye in Wiltshire, itself derived from a river name there (British Celtic for ‘the tricky one’). Compare Wiley.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Whiley in the United States?
The surname Whiley has seen a moderate drop in popularity over the course of a decade, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In the year 2000, it was ranked as the 62,046th most popular surname in the United States, dropping to 66,553rd by 2010 — a decrease of 7.26%. The number of people with the surname Whiley also slightly decreased during this period, from 302 in 2000 to 297 in 2010, which represents a small decline of 1.66%. The proportion of individuals named Whiley per 100,000 people also fell by approximately 9.09% over the same timeframe.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #62,046 | #66,553 | -7.26% |
| Count | 302 | 297 | -1.66% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.1 | -9.09% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Whiley
Shifting focus to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Whiley, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of those bearing the surname identified as White, although this percentage dropped slightly from 65.23% in 2000 to 61.62% in 2010. Individuals identifying as Black made up the second largest group, with a slight increase from 28.48% to 28.96% during that decade. Furthermore, there was a notable increase in the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic (from 2.65% to 4.71%), while those identifying as belonging to two or more races also increased, from 1.66% to 2.36%. There were no recorded instances of the Whiley surname among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 65.23% | 61.62% | -5.53% |
| Black | 28.48% | 28.96% | 1.69% |
| Hispanic | 2.65% | 4.71% | 77.74% |
| Two or More Races | 1.66% | 2.36% | 42.17% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |