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Donneley Family History

Donneley Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Donnelly, Donnelley, Dannelley, Dannelly, Donley, Connelley

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Donneley family from?

You can see how Donneley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Donneley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Donneley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 2 Donneley families living in Massachusetts. This was about 50% of all the recorded Donneley's in USA. Massachusetts had the highest population of Donneley families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Donneley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Donneley ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Donneley. 50% of Donneley men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Donneley women worked as a Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Donneley | 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 1940

  • Farmer
    50%
  • Salesman
    30%
  • Laborner
    20%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Donneley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Donneley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Donneley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Donneley

Passenger Lists

There are 169 immigration records available for the last name Donneley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Donneley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 102 military records available for the last name Donneley. For the veterans among your Donneley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Donneley military records

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