Brierley Family History

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Brierley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the places called Brierl(e)y, in the West Midlands, West and South Yorkshire, and elsewhere, all of which are named with Old English br?r ‘briar’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Bierly, Brinkley, Barley, Brisley, Brimley, Brindley, Bromley

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Brierley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Brierley name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Brierley. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    56%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    25%

  • Germanic Europe

    3%

  • France

    3%

  • Norway

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Brierley Family Origin

Where is the Brierley family from?

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You can see how Brierley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brierley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brierley families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 3,758 Brierley families living in Lancashire. This was about 73% of all the recorded Brierley's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Brierley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brierley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Brierley

Brierley Family Occupations

What did your Brierley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Brierley occupation in the UK was Coal Miner. 4% of Brierley's were Coal Miners. Coal Miner, Labourer and Cotton Weaver were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Brierley. A less common occupation for the Brierley family was Farmer.

View Census data for Brierley | Data not to scale

  • Coal Miner

    4%

  • Labourer

    3%

  • Cotton Weaver

    2%

  • Farmer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Brierley ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Brierley Historical Records

What Brierley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 68,000 census records available for the last name Brierley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brierleycensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Brierley

Passenger List

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Brierley. 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 Brierley immigration records

Draft Card

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Brierley. For the veterans among your Brierley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brierley military records

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Brierley Life Expectancy

What is the average Brierley lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Brierley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1981. The average life expectancy for Brierley in 1957 was 50, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brierley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Brierley 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.

Famous Brierley Family Ancestors

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