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Colley Family History

Colley Surname Meaning

English (West Midlands and Yorkshire): variant of Coley.

Irish (Dublin) and Scottish: possibly a shortened and altered form of McCullough or McCulloch.

Americanized form of Swiss German Kohli.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Colley family from?

You can see how Colley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Colley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Colley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 979 Colley families living in Yorkshire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Colley's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Colley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Colley 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 Colley 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 Colley. 11% of Colley men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Colley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Colley were Retired and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Colley | 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
    11%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Retired
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Colley family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search UK census records for Colley

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Colley. 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 Colley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Colley. For the veterans among your Colley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Colley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Colley family history

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What is the average Colley lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Colley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Colley in 1944 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Colley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Colley 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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