How common is the surname Halley?

3,943 people in the United States had the surname Halley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 78,302 Americans. It ranked 8,394th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Halley?

Peter Halley, American artist (born 1953).

Where is the surname Halley most common?

Wikidata records people named Halley in the United States.

How do you pronounce Halley?

Halley is /ˈhæl.i/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Halley getting more or less common?

Less common. 4,870 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,943 in 2010, down 19%.

The surname Halley

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 3,943 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈhæl.i/ 2 syllables Soundex H400

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Halley is more common than 94.8% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

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”).

Halley is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 3,943 people named Halley in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 78,302 Americans. That is down 19% since 2000, when the Census counted 4,870.

#8,394

rank among US surnames

3,943

people in 2010

1.3

per 100,000 Americans

-19%

change since 2000 (was #6,432)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#8,388	Board	3,946	78,243
#8,389	Pohlman	3,945	78,262
#8,392	Valera	3,944	78,282
#8,394	Halley	3,943	78,302
#8,395	Carlo	3,942	78,322

Who is named Halley

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

76% of people named Halley identified as white (not Hispanic), 18% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Halleys

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Peter Halley
American artist (born 1953)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Halley

Halley has the Soundex code H400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H400.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Halley come from?: 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”).
How common is the surname Halley?: 3,943 people in the United States had the surname Halley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 78,302 Americans. It ranked 8,394th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Halley?: In the 2010 Census, 76% of people named Halley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 18% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Halley?: Peter Halley, American artist (born 1953).
Where is the surname Halley most common?: Wikidata records people named Halley in the United States.
How do you pronounce Halley?: Halley is /ˈhæl.i/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Halley?: Halley is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Halley getting more or less common?: Less common. 4,870 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,943 in 2010, down 19%.