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Bley Family History

Bley Name Meaning

German: metonymic occupational name for a lead miner or lead worker from Middle High German blī ‘lead’. Compare Blei Bly and Ply . Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from German Blei or Yiddish blaj ‘lead’ due to replacement of -ei or -aj with Russian -ey. Dutch: variant archaic or Americanized of Bleij ‘merry gay happy’ (see Blei ). Compare Bly .

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


Similar surnames: Bly, Ley, Oley, Fey, Buley, Klee, Blew, Boley, Eley, Brey

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 Bley family from?

You can see how Bley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 8 Bley families living in Saskatchewan. This was about 47% of all the recorded Bley's in Canada. Saskatchewan had the highest population of Bley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bley ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bley. 24% of Bley men worked as a Farmer and 18% of Bley women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bley were Carpenter and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Bley | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    24%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    18%
  • Clerk
    13%
  • Stenographer
    13%
  • Teacher
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Bley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bley

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Bley. 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 Bley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Bley. For the veterans among your Bley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bley family history

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What is the average Bley lifespan?

Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Bley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Bley in 1958 was 53, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bley

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