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Skelly Family History

Skelly Surname Meaning

Irish and Manx: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Scolaidhe or Ó Scolaidhe ‘son or descendant of the scholar’; see Scully.

Manx: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Scalaighe ‘son of Scalaighe (the crier)’.

Irish and Scottish: variant of Scally.

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


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Where is the Skelly family from?

You can see how Skelly families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Skelly family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Skelly families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 89 Skelly families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Skelly's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Skelly families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Skelly 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 Skelly ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Skelly. 42% of Skelly men worked as a Farmer and 28% of Skelly women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Skelly were Farmers Son and School Teacher.

View Census Data for Skelly | 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
    42%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Machinist
    10%
  • Farmers Son
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    28%
  • Bookkeeper
    19%
  • Teneur De Livres
    19%
  • School Teacher
    19%

What Skelly family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 38,000 census records available for the last name Skelly. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Skelly census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Skelly

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Skelly. 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 Skelly immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Skelly. For the veterans among your Skelly ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Skelly military records

You've only scratched the surface of Skelly family history

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What is the average Skelly lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Skelly life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Skelly in 1949 was 52, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Skelly

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Skelly 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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