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Burley Family History

Burley Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Burley, for example in Hampshire, Rutland, Shropshire, and Yorkshire, from Old English burh ‘fortified manor, stronghold’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

English: variant of Birley.

Americanized form of Swiss German Bürli: from a diminutive of būr ‘peasant farmer’ (see Bauer).

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


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Where is the Burley family from?

You can see how Burley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 365 Burley families living in Ontario. This was about 79% of all the recorded Burley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Burley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burley 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 Burley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Burley. 26% of Burley men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Burley women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Burley were Barber and Domestic.

View Census Data for Burley | 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
    26%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Labourer
    15%
  • Barber
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    20%
  • Teacher
    12%
  • Income
    12%
  • Domestic
    12%

What Burley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 109,000 census records available for the last name Burley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Burley

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Burley. For the veterans among your Burley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Burley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Burley family history

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What is the average Burley lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Burley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Burley in 1943 was 34, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Burley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Burley ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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