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Hurley Family History

Hurley Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the three places called Hurley (Somerset, Warwickshire, Berkshire). The Warwickshire and Berkshire placenames derive from Old English hyrne ‘angle, corner’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. The Somerset placename for a minor place near Crowcombe may have the same origin but this cannot be certain due to a lack of medieval forms.

Irish (Munster): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUrthuile ‘descendant of Urthuile’, a personal name possibly meaning ‘great flood’. Irish: variant of Herlihy.

Irish: variant of Murley.

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


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Where is the Hurley family from?

You can see how Hurley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hurley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hurley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 997 Hurley families living in London. This was about 30% of all the recorded Hurley's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Hurley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hurley 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 Hurley 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 Hurley. 14% of Hurley men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Hurley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hurley were Bricklayer and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Hurley | 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
    14%
  • Builders Labourer
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Hurley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 294,000 census records available for the last name Hurley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hurley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hurley

Passenger Lists

There are 39,000 immigration records available for the last name Hurley. 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 Hurley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 47,000 military records available for the last name Hurley. For the veterans among your Hurley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hurley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hurley family history

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What is the average Hurley lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Hurley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Hurley in 1941 was 51, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hurley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hurley 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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