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Finley Family History

Finley Name Meaning

Scottish and Irish: from the Gaelic personal name Fionnlagh (Old Irish Findlaech) from fionn ‘white fair’ (see Finn ) + laoch ‘hero’ reinforced by an Old Norse name based on finn ‘Finn’ + leikr ‘fight’ or ‘hero’. The name is common in Ireland as well as Scotland. English: habitational name from one or more lost unidentified or altered placenames so named such as Philleyholme Dorset (recorded as Finelegh in 1280) derived from Old English fīna ‘wood-pecker’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. Also a variant of Findlow from Finlow Hill in Over Alderley Cheshire (from Old English fīn ‘heap’ + hlāw ‘mound hill’ meaning ‘heaped mound’).

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


Similar surnames: Finney, Hanley, Manley, Iley, Winney, Fenley, Finner, Onley, Finkley

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Where is the Finley family from?

You can see how Finley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Finley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Finley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 269 Finley families living in Ontario. This was about 42% of all the recorded Finley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Finley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Finley 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 Finley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Finley. 39% of Finley men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Finley women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Finley were Clerk and Student. .

View Census Data for Finley | 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
    39%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    8%
  • Clerk
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Clerk
    14%
  • Stenographer
    11%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Student
    11%
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What Finley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 183,000 census records available for the last name Finley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Finley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Finley

Passenger Lists

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Finley. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 40,000 military records available for the last name Finley. For the veterans among your Finley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Finley lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Finley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Finley in 1940 was 52, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Finley

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