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Tilley Family History

Tilley Name Meaning

English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Tilly-sur-Seulles (Calvados) or Tilly (Eure) France. English: habitational name from Tyley in Wotton under Edge (Gloucestershire) Tiley in Minterne Magna (Dorset) or Tilley (Shropshire). The Gloucestershire and Dorset placenames derive from Old English tigel ‘tile’ + lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’. The Shropshire placename derives from an uncertain first element + Old English lēah. English: occupational name from Middle English tilie ‘one who tills the land a husbandman’. Compare Tiller . English: from a possible diminutive of the Middle English female personal name Till a pet form of Matilda. Irish: variant of Tully .

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


Similar surnames: Tiller, Willey, Titley, Tilly, Cilley, Lilly, Pilley, Dilley, Tolley

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Where is the Tilley family from?

You can see how Tilley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tilley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tilley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 98 Tilley families living in Ontario. This was about 62% of all the recorded Tilley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Tilley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tilley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Tilley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Tilley. 22% of Tilley men worked as a Farmer and 40% of Tilley women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tilley were Machinist and Maid. .

View Census Data for Tilley | 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
    22%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Machinist
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    40%
  • Student
    20%
  • Bookkeeper
    20%
  • Maid
    20%
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What Tilley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 135,000 census records available for the last name Tilley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tilley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Tilley

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Tilley. 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 Tilley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Tilley. For the veterans among your Tilley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Tilley lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Tilley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Tilley in 1942 was 28, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Tilley

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