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Bardsley Family History

Bardsley Surname Meaning

English:: habitational name from Bardsley in Ashton under Lyne Lancashire so named from the genitive case of the Old English personal name Beornrēd (composed of the elements beorn ‘young warrior’ + rǣd ‘counsel advice’) + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

Perhaps also a variant of Barnsley, a habitational name from Barnsley in Gloucestershire since the early records of the placename show variation between spellings in Barnes-, Barndes-, and Bardes-.

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


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Where is the Bardsley family from?

You can see how Bardsley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bardsley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bardsley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,587 Bardsley families living in Lancashire. This was about 64% of all the recorded Bardsley's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Bardsley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bardsley 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 Bardsley 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 Bardsley. 10% of Bardsley men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Bardsley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bardsley were Builders Labourer and Cotton Weaver.

View Census Data for Bardsley | 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
    10%
  • Retired
    8%
  • Cotton Spinner
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%

What Bardsley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 34,000 census records available for the last name Bardsley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bardsley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bardsley

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Bardsley. 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 Bardsley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Bardsley. For the veterans among your Bardsley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bardsley military records

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