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Cooley Family History

Cooley Surname Meaning

Irish (Galway and Clare): Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’ a rare Clare name or a shortened form of McCooley a variant of McCauley.

English: perhaps a variant of Colley or Culley.

Americanized form of German Kuhle or Kühle variants of Kuhl.

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


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Where is the Cooley family from?

You can see how Cooley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cooley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cooley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 216 Cooley families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Cooley's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Cooley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cooley 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 Cooley ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Cooley. 18% of Cooley men worked as a Builders Labourer and 73% of Cooley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cooley were General Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Cooley | 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

  • Builders Labourer
    18%
  • Plasterer
    11%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    7%
  • General Labourer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Cooley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 160,000 census records available for the last name Cooley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cooley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Cooley

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 33,000 military records available for the last name Cooley. For the veterans among your Cooley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cooley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cooley family history

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What is the average Cooley lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Cooley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Cooley in 1940 was 59, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cooley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cooley 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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