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Hartley Family History

Hartley Name Meaning

English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name in northern England mainly from Hartley in Rochdale parish (Lancashire) but also from any of the places called Hartley in Westmorland and the West Yorkshire. In southern England it derives Hartley in Devon Hampshire and Kent and from Hartleigh in Devon. Similar placenames occur in Berkshire Dorset and Northumberland but it is not known if they gave rise to surnames. Most of the placenames derive from Old English heorot ‘hart stag’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’ though the Westmorland placename comes from Old English heard ‘hard’ + clā ‘claw tongue of land’ and the Northumberland placename derives from Old English heorot + hlāw ‘mound hill’. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hArtghaile ‘descendant of Artghal’ a personal name composed of the elements Art ‘bear’ or ‘hero’ + gal ‘valor’.

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


Similar surnames: Harley, Hatley, Barley, Hanley, Marley, Bartley, Harle, Harty

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Hartley family from?

You can see how Hartley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hartley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hartley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 8,034 Hartley families living in Lancashire. This was about 42% of all the recorded Hartley's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Hartley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hartley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Hartley 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 Hartley. 7% of Hartley men worked as a General Labourer and 63% of Hartley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hartley were Incapacitated and Incapacitated. .

View Census Data for Hartley | 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%
  • Cotton Weaver
    6%
  • Dairy Farmer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    63%
  • Cotton Weaver
    5%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Hartley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 493,000 census records available for the last name Hartley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hartley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Australian census records for Hartley

Passenger Lists

There are 79,000 immigration records available for the last name Hartley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Australia, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Hartley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 50,000 military records available for the last name Hartley. For the veterans among your Hartley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Hartley lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Hartley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Hartley in 1941 was 28, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hartley

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