Explore the Family Name Wortley
The meaning of Wortley
English: habitational name from Wortley in Tankersley (Yorkshire), or Lower, Upper, or New Wortley in Armley (Yorkshire), or (least likely) Wortley in Wotton under Edge (Gloucestershire). The place in Tankersley derives from Old English wyrt ‘plant, vegetable’ + lēah ‘wood, woodland clearing’. The place in Armley derives from an Old English personal name Wyrca or Weorca + Old English lēah. The Gloucestershire placename derives from Old English wyrt + lēah.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wortley in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Wortley has seen a shift in popularity over time. In 2000, Wortley was ranked as the 40,833rd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped to 44,034th place. This represents a decrease of 7.84%. The actual count of individuals with the Wortley surname also decreased from 504 in 2000 to 489 in 2010, a drop of nearly 3%. Similarly, the proportion per 100,000 people went down by 10.53%, moving from 0.19 in 2000 to 0.17 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #40,833 | #44,034 | -7.84% |
| Count | 504 | 489 | -2.98% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.19 | 0.17 | -10.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wortley
The ethnic identity associated with the Wortley surname also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, as indicated by the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 94.64% of Wortleys identified as White, and this percentage increased slightly to 95.91% in 2010. However, the percentage of Wortleys identifying with two or more races experienced a significant decrease, going from 2.78% in 2000 to just 1.02% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of Wortleys who identify as Hispanic dipped from 1.59% to 1.23% during the same period. There were no Wortleys recorded as being of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity during both census years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.64% | 95.91% | 1.34% |
| Hispanic | 1.59% | 1.23% | -22.64% |
| Two or More Races | 2.78% | 1.02% | -63.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |