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Penley Family History

Penley Surname Meaning

English (Gloucestershire and Worcestershire): habitational name from Penleigh in Dilton Wiltshire. The placename probably derives from Old English penn ‘fold enclosure’ or perhaps Celtic penn ‘head’ + Old English lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’.

It is perhaps also a variant of Pendley. This surname is rare in Britain and Ireland.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Penley family from?

You can see how Penley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Penley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Penley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 28 Penley families living in London. This was about 33% of all the recorded Penley's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Penley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Penley 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 Penley ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Clerk In Holy Orders and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Penley. 100% of Penley men worked as a Clerk In Holy Orders and 87% of Penley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Penley | 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

  • Clerk In Holy Orders
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    87%
  • Unpaid Domestic Dut
    14%

What Penley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Penley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Penley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Penley

Passenger Lists

There are 541 immigration records available for the last name Penley. 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 Penley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Penley. For the veterans among your Penley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Penley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Penley family history

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What is the average Penley lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Penley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Penley in 1956 was 40, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Penley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Penley 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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