Kerley Family History

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Kerley Name Meaning

Americanized spelling of German and Swiss Kehrli or Kerle, a variant of Kerl. Irish: variant spelling of Curley (see McCurley).

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


Similar surnames: Kealey, Keeley, Kirley, Berley, Werley, Kelley, Perley, Remley

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Kerley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Kerley name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    54%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    27%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Norway

    2%

  • Sweden

    2%

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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Kerley Family Origin

Where is the Kerley family from?

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You can see how Kerley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kerley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kerley families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1911 there were 21 Kerley families living in Ontario. This was about 41% of all the recorded Kerley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Kerley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kerley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Kerley

Kerley Family Occupations

What did your Kerley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer and Sergent Over Stabl were the top 2 reported jobs worked by Kerley. A less common occupation for the Kerley family was Soldier. The most common Kerley occupation in Canada was Farmer. 71% of Kerley's were Farmers.

View Census data for Kerley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    71%

  • Sergent Over Stabl

    14%

  • Soldier

    14%

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

Kerley Historical Records

What Kerley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Kerley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kerleycensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Kerley

Passenger List

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Kerley. 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 Kerley immigration records

Draft Card

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Kerley. For the veterans among your Kerley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kerley military records

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

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Kerley Life Expectancy

What is the average Kerley lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Kerley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Kerley in 1944 was 35, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kerley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kerley 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 Kerley Family Ancestors

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