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Willey Family History

Willey Surname Meaning

English: from a pet form of the personal name Will a short form of William.

In some instances a variant of Wiley.

Americanized form of Swiss German Willi.

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 Willey family from?

You can see how Willey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Willey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Willey families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 689 Willey families living in Yorkshire. This was about 22% of all the recorded Willey's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Willey families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Willey 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 Willey 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 Willey. 8% of Willey men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Willey women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Willey were Builders Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Willey | 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
    8%
  • Farmer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    5%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Willey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 130,000 census records available for the last name Willey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Willey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Willey

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Willey. 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 Willey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 20,000 military records available for the last name Willey. For the veterans among your Willey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Willey military records

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