How common is the surname Talley?

30,014 people in the United States had the surname Talley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,287 Americans. It ranked 1,170th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Talley?

Steve Talley, American actor, followed by André Leon Talley.

Where is the surname Talley most common?

Wikidata records people named Talley in the United States.

Is the surname Talley getting more or less common?

More common. 29,082 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 30,014 in 2010, up 3.2%.

The surname Talley

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 30,014 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex T400

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Talley is more common than 99.3% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

*Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Taithligh (“descendant of Taithleach”), a byname from taithleach (“appeasement, pacification”). *In Wales, from Welsh Talyllychau or Tal y Llychau.

Talley 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 30,014 people named Talley in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 10,287 Americans. That is up 3.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 29,082.

#1,170

rank among US surnames

30,014

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.2%

change since 2000 (was #1,101)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,161	Kirkland	30,283	10,195
#1,162	Hendrickson	30,259	10,203
#1,163	Holley	30,231	10,213
#1,164	Cordero	30,158	10,238
#1,165	Franks	30,155	10,239
#1,166	Guillen	30,153	10,239
#1,168	Ratliff	30,083	10,263

Who is named Talley

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

65% of people named Talley identified as white (not Hispanic), 28% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 65%
Black (not Hispanic) 28%
Two or more races 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Talleys

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Steve Talley
American actor, born 1981
André Leon Talley
American journalist (1948-2022)
Jill Talley
American voice actress, born 1962
Nedra Talley
American singer (1946–2026)
David Talley
American Roman-Catholic bishop, born 1950

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Talley

Talley has the Soundex code T400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T400.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Talley come from?: *Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Taithligh (“descendant of Taithleach”), a byname from taithleach (“appeasement, pacification”). *In Wales, from Welsh Talyllychau or Tal y Llychau.
How common is the surname Talley?: 30,014 people in the United States had the surname Talley in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,287 Americans. It ranked 1,170th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Talley?: In the 2010 Census, 65% of people named Talley identified as white (not Hispanic), and 28% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Talley?: Steve Talley, American actor, followed by André Leon Talley.
Where is the surname Talley most common?: Wikidata records people named Talley in the United States.
What type of surname is Talley?: Talley is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Talley getting more or less common?: More common. 29,082 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 30,014 in 2010, up 3.2%.