Wigley Family History

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Wigley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from places in Derbyshire and Hampshire, named from the Old English byname Wicga (meaning ‘beetle’, ‘insect’) or Old English wicga ‘beetle’, ‘insect’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘woodland clearing’.

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


Similar surnames: Willey, Wrigley, Iley, Riley, Midgley, Ripley, Wiley, Webley, Withey

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Wigley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Wigley name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    60%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    20%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Norway

    4%

  • Sweden

    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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Wigley Family Origin

Where is the Wigley family from?

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You can see how Wigley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wigley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wigley families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 234 Wigley families living in Derbyshire. This was about 12% of all the recorded Wigley's in the UK. Derbyshire had the highest population of Wigley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wigley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Wigley

Wigley Family Occupations

What did your Wigley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Wigley occupation in the UK was Farmer. 5% of Wigley's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Wigley family was Labourer. Farmer, Agricultural Labourer and Coal Miner were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Wigley.

View Census data for Wigley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    5%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    4%

  • Coal Miner

    4%

  • Labourer

    3%

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

Wigley Historical Records

What Wigley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 45,000 census records available for the last name Wigley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wigley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Wigley

Passenger List

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

Draft Card

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

View all Wigley military records

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Wigley Life Expectancy

What is the average Wigley lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Wigley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Wigley in 1941 was 43, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wigley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wigley 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 Wigley Family Ancestors

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