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Pelley Family History

Pelley Surname Meaning

English: variant of Pelly. Hungarian: habitational name for someone from a place called Pele in Transylvania now part of Romania.

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


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Where is the Pelley family from?

You can see how Pelley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pelley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pelley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 37 Pelley families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 45% of all the recorded Pelley's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Pelley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pelley 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 Pelley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Pelley. 32% of Pelley men worked as a Labourer.

View Census Data for Pelley | 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

  • Labourer
    32%
  • Laborer
    25%
  • Farmer
    19%
  • Carpenter
    13%

What Pelley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Pelley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pelley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Pelley

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Pelley. 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 Pelley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Pelley. For the veterans among your Pelley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pelley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pelley family history

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What is the average Pelley lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Pelley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Pelley in 1956 was 49, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pelley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Pelley 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Pelley family tree

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