# Halley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/halley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 3,943 |
| US rank (2010) | 8,394 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 78,302 people |
| Change since 2000 | -19.0% (4,870 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhæl.i/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Two main origins: * Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAilche (“descendant of Ailche”), a personal name of unclear origin. * Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÁille (“descendant of Áille”), a byname from áille (“beauty”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Halley in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 76% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 18% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Halley in the United States.

## People named Halley

- Peter Halley, American artist (born 1953)

## Similar surnames

Hall, Hale, Haley, Holley, Healy, Hawley, Healey, Holly, Hailey, Haile, Holle, Helle.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.