NameCensus.

UK surname

Donley

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnghaile," meaning "descendant of Donnghal" (a personal name meaning "brown valor").

In the 1881 census there were 253 people recorded with the Donley surname, ranking it #10,980 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 229, ranked #17,878, down from #10,980 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Manchester and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, York and Ribble Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Donley is 283 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 9.5%.

1881 census count

253

Ranked #10,980

Modern count

229

2016, ranked #17,878

Peak year

1861

283 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Donley had 253 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,980 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016, ranked #17,878.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 283 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Donley surname distribution map

The map shows where the Donley surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Donley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Donley over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 202 #10,323
1861 historical 283 #8,866
1881 historical 253 #10,980
1891 historical 219 #13,974
1901 historical 229 #13,894
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 245 #15,903
1999 modern 243 #16,094
2000 modern 236 #16,380
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 228 #16,828
2003 modern 221 #16,987
2004 modern 226 #16,829
2005 modern 223 #16,938
2006 modern 228 #16,789
2007 modern 234 #16,706
2008 modern 237 #16,688
2009 modern 245 #16,646
2010 modern 245 #17,013
2011 modern 250 #16,637
2012 modern 254 #16,328
2013 modern 259 #16,392
2014 modern 253 #16,774
2015 modern 238 #17,378
2016 modern 229 #17,878

Geography

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Where Donleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, York, Ribble Valley and Kirkcudbright. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow) Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 005 Hartlepool
2 York 016 York
3 Ribble Valley 008 Ribble Valley
4 Hartlepool 008 Hartlepool
5 Kirkcudbright Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Donley

These lists show first names that appear often with the Donley surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Donley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Donley, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Donley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Donley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Donley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Donley is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Donley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Donley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Donley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Donley

The surname Donley originated in Ireland, specifically in the northern counties of Ulster. It first appeared in written records during the 17th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "donn" meaning brown or dark, and "leath" meaning a portion or side. Together, the words form the meaning "brown side" or "dark slope."

This surname is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to a person who lived near a brown or dark-colored hillside or slope. It may have also been used as a descriptive name for someone with a dark complexion or hair color.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which listed a John Donley residing in County Antrim, Ireland. The name also appeared in the Registry of Deeds for County Donegal, where a William Donley was recorded as a landowner in 1672.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Irish families with the surname Donley immigrated to the American colonies, particularly to Pennsylvania and the Appalachian region. Notable individuals with the Donley surname include:

1. James Donley (1737-1806), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Virginia. 2. John Donley (1771-1856), an American farmer and landowner in Ohio, known for his contribution to the early settlement of the state. 3. Sarah Donley (1822-1905), a pioneer and one of the first female settlers in California during the Gold Rush era. 4. William Donley (1848-1924), an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, from 1893 to 1895. 5. Margaret Donley Noonan (1867-1945), an American educator and women's rights activist who worked to establish educational opportunities for girls in rural Pennsylvania.

Throughout its history, the Donley surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Donleys Brae in County Antrim and Donleys Hill in County Tyrone. These place names likely originated from the presence of Donley families in those areas and reflect the topographic nature of the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Donley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Donley surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 78 Donleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.72x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 78 2.72x
Durham 38 5.28x
Yorkshire 31 1.29x
Northumberland 18 5.00x
Cumberland 17 8.16x
Lanarkshire 16 2.05x
Wigtownshire 9 28.02x
Middlesex 8 0.33x
Bedfordshire 4 3.19x
Dunbartonshire 4 6.15x
Midlothian 3 0.93x
Stirlingshire 3 3.36x
Sussex 3 0.74x
Channel Islands 2 2.79x
Cheshire 2 0.37x
Denbighshire 2 2.19x
Norfolk 2 0.54x
Ayrshire 1 0.55x
Cornwall 1 0.37x
Essex 1 0.21x
Kent 1 0.12x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.31x
Renfrewshire 1 0.53x
Surrey 1 0.08x
Warwickshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 16 Donleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.39x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 16 12.39x
Liverpool 13 7.46x
Barony 12 6.06x
Leeds 10 7.39x
Caldewgate 8 70.11x
Conside Knitsley 8 142.86x
Ecclesfield 8 45.51x
Garston 7 82.64x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 22.46x
Barrow In Furness 6 15.37x
Byker 6 33.73x
Linthorpe 6 41.93x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 27.91x
Cowpen 5 60.31x
South Shields 5 78.00x
Southwick 5 73.31x
Bethnal Green London 4 3.81x
Bonhill 4 38.31x
Farington 4 239.52x
Kirkcowan 4 370.37x
Leswalt 4 181.82x
Sheffield 4 5.24x
Silsoe 4 714.29x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 4.78x
Blackburn 3 3.93x
Cheetham 3 14.01x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 6.58x
Everton 3 3.28x
Great Clifton 3 370.37x
Larbert 3 56.29x
Monkwearmouth 3 43.54x
Preston 3 3.91x
Worsley 3 16.96x
Ardwick 2 7.73x
Birkenhead 2 4.70x
Bothwell 2 9.43x
Brighton 2 2.43x
Chilton 2 88.89x
Cleator 2 23.07x
Hamilton 2 9.17x
Monkwearmouth Shore 2 14.23x
Newton 2 9.04x
Norwich St Swithin 2 312.50x
Ruabon 2 15.91x
St Helier 2 8.57x
Arlecdon 1 18.05x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 4.39x
Burnley 1 4.14x
Colinton 1 27.70x
Coventry St Michael 1 5.10x
Crumpsall 1 14.77x
Darlington 1 3.60x
Dearham 1 36.36x
East Greenock 1 5.65x
Ebchester 1 90.09x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.77x
Falmouth 1 10.32x
Hedleyhope 1 80.00x
Horsted Keynes 1 105.26x
Hulme 1 1.67x
Inch 1 31.95x
Irton With Santon 1 192.31x
Irvine 1 19.88x
Iveston 1 30.12x
Lambley 1 149.25x
Lewisham 1 2.27x
Liberton 1 20.00x
Longbenton 1 6.56x
Middlesbrough 1 3.20x
New Malton 1 34.84x
Paddington London 1 1.12x
Poplar London 1 2.19x
Ripon 1 17.99x
Salford 1 1.18x
South Weald 1 24.45x
St George In East London 1 4.40x
Stockton On Tees 1 2.88x
Waldridge 1 83.33x
Walton On Hill 1 6.43x
Withington 1 10.81x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Donley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 16
Margaret 12
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 7
Jane 6
Ellen 5
Eliza 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Bridget 3
Catherine 3
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Rose 2
Agness 1
Alace 1
Alice 1
Cad 1
Caroline 1
Cath. 1
Catheran 1
Eleanor 1
Ellin 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Johannah 1
Mabel 1
Margret 1
Margt. 1
May 1
Nancy 1
Nina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Donley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 21
James 13
Patrick 11
Michael 8
William 8
Thomas 6
Henry 3
Hugh 3
Samuel 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
Felix 2
George 2
Jas. 2
Alexander 1
Andrew 1
Bernard 1
Dominique 1
Edwd. 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Isiah 1
Joseph 1
Luke 1
Mary 1
Matthew 1
Percival 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Tarence 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Donley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Donley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 253 people were recorded with the Donley surname. That placed it at #10,980 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Donley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016. That gives Donley a modern rank of #17,878.

What does the Donley surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Donnghaile," meaning "descendant of Donnghal" (a personal name meaning "brown valor").

What does the Donley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Donley bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.