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Cawley Family History

Cawley Surname Meaning

Irish (Mayo and Sligo): shortened form of McCauley. English and Manx: variant of Cowley.

English: variant of Callow from the parish of Callow in Derbyshire early recorded as Cawley.

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


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Where is the Cawley family from?

You can see how Cawley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cawley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cawley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 518 Cawley families living in Lancashire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Cawley's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Cawley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cawley 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 Cawley 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 Cawley. 18% of Cawley men worked as a General Labourer and 74% of Cawley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cawley were Plasterer and Private Means.

View Census Data for Cawley | 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
    18%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Plasterer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Cawley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 57,000 census records available for the last name Cawley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cawley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Cawley

Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Cawley. 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 Cawley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Cawley. For the veterans among your Cawley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cawley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cawley family history

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What is the average Cawley lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Cawley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Cawley in 1950 was 44, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cawley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cawley 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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