Explore the Family Name Wisely
The meaning of Wisely
Scottish (Aberdeenshire): unexplained. Most probably a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place, or perhaps a variant of Whislay, a habitational name from Wisley in Surrey or Whistley Farm in Wiltshire (both of which are named from Old English wisce ‘marshy meadow’ + lēah ‘wood, woodland clearing’), though the concentration in Scotland cannot be explained.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wisely in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Wisely has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked 24,680th and by 2010, it had slipped to 25,771st, marking a decline of 4.42%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with this surname saw a marginal increase, rising from 948 in 2000 to 956 in 2010 - an increase of 0.84%. However, when measured as a proportion per 100k people, the prevalence of the Wisely surname decreased by 8.57%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #24,680 | #25,771 | -4.42% |
| Count | 948 | 956 | 0.84% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.35 | 0.32 | -8.57% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wisely
The census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Wisely surname. The majority of individuals with this last name identified as White in both 2000 (92.93%) and 2010 (91.32%), although there was a slight decrease of 1.73%. Those identifying as Hispanic saw a relative increase of 15.82%, moving from 3.16% in 2000 to 3.66% in 2010. Notably, there was no recorded data for individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in 2000, but by 2010, these groups accounted for 1.26% and 1.15% respectively. The proportion of those identifying as two or more races slightly declined by 6.32%, and the group identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a significant decrease of 20.00%. This data is all based on the Decennial U.S. Census.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.93% | 91.32% | -1.73% |
| Hispanic | 3.16% | 3.66% | 15.82% |
| Two or More Races | 1.9% | 1.78% | -6.32% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.26% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 1.15% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.05% | 0.84% | -20% |