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Stanley Family History

Stanley Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Stanley including those in Yorkshire Staffordshire Derbyshire Durham Gloucestershire and Wiltshire named with Old English stān ‘stone rock’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. This English name has been established in Ireland since the 13th century where it was Gaelicized as de Stainléigh.

English: possibly also a variant of Stoneley, a habitational name from Stoneley Green in Burland (Cheshire), Stoneleigh (Warwickshire), or Stonely in Kimbolton (Huntingdonshire), all named with Old English stān ‘stone rock’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

Americanized form of any of various like-sounding names in other languages for example Polish Stanislawski, Greek Anastasiou, and Serbian Stojadinov (patronymic from the personal name Stojadin).

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Stanley family from?

You can see how Stanley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Stanley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Stanley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,007 Stanley families living in London. This was about 15% of all the recorded Stanley's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Stanley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Stanley 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 Stanley 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 Stanley. 9% of Stanley men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Stanley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Stanley were Farmer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Stanley | 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
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Farmer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Stanley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 658,000 census records available for the last name Stanley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Stanley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Stanley

Passenger Lists

There are 81,000 immigration records available for the last name Stanley. 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 Stanley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 115,000 military records available for the last name Stanley. For the veterans among your Stanley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Stanley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Stanley family history

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What is the average Stanley lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Stanley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Stanley in 1940 was 41, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Stanley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Stanley 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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