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Hawley Family History

Hawley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from a lost place called Hawley in Sheffield (Yorkshire). The placename derives from Old Norse haugr ‘hill burial mound’ + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

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


Similar surnames: Howley, Fawley, Halley, Hadley, Hanley, Harley, Haley, Hatley, Hagley

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Hawley family from?

You can see how Hawley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hawley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hawley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 773 Hawley families living in Yorkshire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Hawley's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Hawley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hawley 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 Hawley ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Hawley. 8% of Hawley men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Hawley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hawley were Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duti. .

View Census Data for Hawley | 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 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Colliery Hewer
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Hawley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 178,000 census records available for the last name Hawley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hawley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hawley

Passenger Lists

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Hawley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Hawley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 27,000 military records available for the last name Hawley. For the veterans among your Hawley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hawley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hawley family history

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What is the average Hawley lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hawley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Hawley in 1940 was 46, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hawley

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