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Woodley Family History

Woodley Name Meaning

English: from Middle English wodeleie ‘woodland glade or clearing’ (Middle English wode ‘wood’ + leie ‘glade clearing’ Old English wudu + lēah). The surname may be habitational from Woodleigh (Devon) Woodley (Berkshire) or from any of various minor places so named or it may be topographic for a person who lived at or near a woodland clearing.

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


Similar surnames: Woolley, Woosley, Pooley, Wadley, Bordley, Wortley, Bodley, Hoadley

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Woodley family from?

You can see how Woodley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Woodley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Woodley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 246 Woodley families living in Ontario. This was about 68% of all the recorded Woodley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Woodley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Woodley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Woodley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Woodley. 30% of Woodley men worked as a Farmer and 25% of Woodley women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Woodley were Laborer and Bookkeeper. .

View Census Data for Woodley | 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
    30%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    25%
  • Income
    25%
  • Housekeeper
    13%
  • Bookkeeper
    13%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Woodley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 96,000 census records available for the last name Woodley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Woodley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Woodley

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Woodley. 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 Woodley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Woodley. For the veterans among your Woodley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Woodley lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Woodley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Woodley in 1944 was 42, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Woodley

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