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Ely Family History

Ely Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from Ely, a cathedral city on an island in the fens north of Cambridge, so named from Old English ǣl ‘eel’ + gē ‘district’. English, French, and Breton (Finistère): from the Middle English, Old French personal name Elie, Hely (Elijah in the King James Bible); see Ellis and Elias.

English: variant of Healey. German: variant of Eley and in North America, probably also an altered form of this.

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


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Where is the Ely family from?

You can see how Ely families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ely family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ely families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 72 Ely families living in Ontario. This was about 54% of all the recorded Ely's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ely families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ely 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 Ely ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Ely. 25% of Ely men worked as a Farmer and 34% of Ely women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ely were Carpenter and Student.

View Census Data for Ely | 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
    25%
  • Laborer
    18%
  • Labourer
    14%
  • Carpenter
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    34%
  • Opperstor
    34%
  • Student
    34%

What Ely family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 128,000 census records available for the last name Ely. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ely census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ely

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name Ely. 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 Ely immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 30,000 military records available for the last name Ely. For the veterans among your Ely ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ely military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ely family history

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What is the average Ely lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Ely life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1992. The average life expectancy for Ely in 1941 was 68, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ely

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ely 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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