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Tilly Family History

Tilly Surname Meaning

German: from a shortened form of Tilling which itself is a patronymic from Till. English and Irish: variant of Tilley.

Irish: variant of Tully. French: habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Tilly.

Examples in Eure and Calvados are so called (Tilliacum in medieval records) from the Gallo-Roman personal name Tillius (probably from Latin tilia ‘lime tree’) + the locative suffix -acum.

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


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Where is the Tilly family from?

You can see how Tilly families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tilly family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tilly families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 201 Tilly families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Tilly's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Tilly families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tilly 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 Tilly ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Retired and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Tilly. 18% of Tilly men worked as a Retired and 72% of Tilly women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tilly were Pensioner and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Tilly | 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

  • Retired
    18%
  • General Labourer
    15%
  • Railway Clerk
    15%
  • Pensioner
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Private Means
    7%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Tilly family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Tilly. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tilly census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Tilly

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Tilly. 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 Tilly immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Tilly. For the veterans among your Tilly ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Tilly military records

You've only scratched the surface of Tilly family history

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What is the average Tilly lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Tilly life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Tilly in 1944 was 29, and 82 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Tilly

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Tilly 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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