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Hanley Family History

Hanley Surname Meaning

Irish: shortened form of O'Hanley, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁinle ‘descendant of Áinle’, a personal name meaning ‘champion’. This is the name of a former ruling family in Connacht and is now common throughout southern Ireland.

English: habitational name from any of the many places called Handley (Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Northamptonshire) or Hanley (Staffordshire, Worcestershire), named with Old English hēan, the weak dative form (originally used after a preposition and article) of hēah ‘high’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

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


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Where is the Hanley family from?

You can see how Hanley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hanley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hanley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 637 Hanley families living in Lancashire. This was about 26% of all the recorded Hanley's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Hanley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hanley 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 Hanley 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 Hanley. 21% of Hanley men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Hanley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hanley were Retired and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Hanley | 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
    21%
  • Railway Clerk
    6%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Retired
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Hanley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 171,000 census records available for the last name Hanley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hanley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hanley

Passenger Lists

There are 29,000 immigration records available for the last name Hanley. 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 Hanley immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Hanley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hanley family history

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What is the average Hanley lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Hanley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Hanley in 1942 was 41, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hanley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hanley 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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