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Colley Family History

Colley Name Meaning

English (West Midlands and Yorkshire): variant of Coley . Irish (Dublin) and Scottish: possibly a shortened and altered form of McCullough or McCulloch . Americanized form of Swiss German Kohli .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Cilley, Coley, Cooley, Colle, Coller, Collen, Tolley, Corley, Cogley

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Colley family from?

You can see how Colley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Colley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Colley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 87 Colley families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Colley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Colley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Colley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Colley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Saleswoman were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Colley. 38% of Colley men worked as a Farmer and 34% of Colley women worked as a Saleswoman. Some less common occupations for Americans named Colley were Carpenter and Spinner. .

View Census Data for Colley | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    38%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Carpenter
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Saleswoman
    34%
  • Farmer
    34%
  • Spinner
    34%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Colley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 112,000 census records available for the last name Colley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Colley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Colley

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Colley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Colley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Colley. For the veterans among your Colley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Colley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Colley family history

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What is the average Colley lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Colley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Colley in 1944 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Colley

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Colley family tree

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