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Barley Family History

Barley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Barley. Those in Lancashire and Yorkshire are named with Old English bār ‘wild boar’ or bere ‘barley’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. A place of the same name in Hertfordshire has as its first element an unattested Old English byname Be(o)ra (from bera ‘bear’). English: metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of barley from Middle English barli barlich ‘barley’ (Old English bærlic originally an adjective derivative of bær ‘barley’ a byform of bere). Americanized form of South German Behrle or of its Swiss German cognates Beerli Berli or Berly and probably also of some other similar (like-sounding) surname. Compare Berley .

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


Similar surnames: Bailey, Bagley, Berley, Marley, Harley, Burley, Batley, Varley

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Where is the Barley family from?

You can see how Barley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 276 Barley families living in Ontario. This was about 54% of all the recorded Barley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Barley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Barley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Barley. 37% of Barley men worked as a Farmer and 18% of Barley women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Barley were Laborer and Nurse. .

View Census Data for Barley | 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
    37%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    18%
  • Student
    14%
  • Housewife
    14%
  • Nurse
    14%
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What Barley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 112,000 census records available for the last name Barley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Barley

Passenger Lists

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

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Draft Cards

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

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What is the average Barley lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Barley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Barley in 1949 was 47, and 68 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barley

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