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Shipley Family History

Shipley Surname Meaning

English (Staffordshire): habitational name from any of various places called Shipley in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Shropshire, Durham, Northumberland, Sussex, and elsewhere, all named with Old English scēap ‘sheep’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

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


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Where is the Shipley family from?

You can see how Shipley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shipley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shipley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 122 Shipley families living in Ontario. This was about 52% of all the recorded Shipley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shipley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shipley 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 Shipley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Shipley. 69% of Shipley men worked as a Farmer and 38% of Shipley women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shipley were Carpenter and Laundryman.

View Census Data for Shipley | 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
    69%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    38%
  • Stenographer
    38%
  • Laundryman
    25%

What Shipley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 125,000 census records available for the last name Shipley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shipley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shipley

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Shipley. 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 Shipley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 21,000 military records available for the last name Shipley. For the veterans among your Shipley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shipley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shipley family history

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What is the average Shipley lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Shipley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Shipley in 1940 was 40, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shipley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shipley 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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