Harley Family History

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Harley Name Meaning

English (now mainly in Scotland; also West Midlands and Welsh border): habitational name from places in Shropshire and West Yorkshire, so named from Old English hær ‘rock’, ‘heap of stones’ or hara ‘hare’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’. In some cases the name may be topographic. Irish: when not of English origin, this is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hEarghaile ‘descendant of Earghal’, a variant of the personal name Fearghal without the initial F- (see Farrell).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Hartley, Hanley, Hurley, Halley, Hadley, Harle, Barley, Harvey

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Harley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Harley name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Harley. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    45%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    22%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    7%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Benin/Togo

    5%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Harley Family Origin

Where is the Harley family from?

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You can see how Harley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Harley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Harley families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1911 there were 238 Harley families living in Ontario. This was about 46% of all the recorded Harley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Harley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Harley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Harley

Harley Family Occupations

What did your Harley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Harley family was Shoemaker. Farmer, Servant and Farmer Son were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Harley. The most common Harley occupation in Canada was Farmer. 22% of Harley's were Farmers.

View Census data for Harley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    22%

  • Servant

    7%

  • Farmer Son

    6%

  • Shoemaker

    6%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Harley ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Harley Historical Records

What Harley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 156,000 census records available for the last name Harley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Harley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Harley

Passenger List

There are 21,000 immigration records available for the last name Harley. 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 Harley immigration records

Draft Card

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Harley. For the veterans among your Harley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Harley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Harley family history.

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Harley Life Expectancy

What is the average Harley lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Harley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Harley in 1942 was 37, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Harley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Harley 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.

Famous Harley Family Ancestors

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