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Tilley Family History

Tilley Surname Meaning

English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Tilly-sur-Seulles (Calvados) or Tilly (Eure) France. English: habitational name from Tyley in Wotton under Edge (Gloucestershire) Tiley in Minterne Magna (Dorset) or Tilley (Shropshire).

The Gloucestershire and Dorset placenames derive from Old English tigel ‘tile’ + lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’. The Shropshire placename derives from an uncertain first element + Old English lēah.

English: occupational name from Middle English tilie ‘one who tills the land a husbandman’. Compare Tiller.

English: from a possible diminutive of the Middle English female personal name Till, a pet form of Matilda.

Irish: variant of Tully.

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


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Where is the Tilley family from?

You can see how Tilley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tilley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tilley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 616 Tilley families living in London. This was about 16% of all the recorded Tilley's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Tilley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tilley 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 Tilley 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 Tilley. 7% of Tilley men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Tilley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tilley were Retired and Housewife.

View Census Data for Tilley | 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
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Retired
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Tilley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 135,000 census records available for the last name Tilley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tilley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Tilley

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Tilley. 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 Tilley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Tilley. For the veterans among your Tilley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Tilley military records

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