The Briley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,629 people carried this name — #6,094 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 52,400 people counted. That is down 21% from 7,155 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Briley surname

Possibly a variant of Brierley.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Briley» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Briley in American newspapers,
1900–1905.

Newspaper page from Evening Times-republican carrying the name Briley
Evening Times-republican 1900-11-29
Newspaper page from The Oskaloosa Herald carrying the name Briley
The Oskaloosa Herald 1905-10-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Briley in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1970s.

378 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Briley. The most, 95, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 164
Victoria 70
Tasmania 69
Queensland 44
South Australia 19
ACT (Canberra) 6
Western Australia 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Briley.

Who carried it

People named Briley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Beverly Briley
    Beverly Briley 1914–1980 · politician
  • John Briley 1925–2019 · writer
  • Jonathan Eric Briley 1958–2001 · audiovisual technician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Briley,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States302 records

302 records of the Briley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 197
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 78
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 11
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 6
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 4
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Howard V. Briley

    Born 1923 in California. Enlisted 1943 at Sacramento; mail carrier from Sacramento County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ray A. Briley

    Born 1930; from Wayne County, Michigan. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; declared dead 1950 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridgt Briley

    Arrived at New York in 1851 aboard the Vanguard from Liverpool, aged 21; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 302 records for Briley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia24 records

24 records of the Briley name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 10
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Briley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Orizaba, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Briley

    Fishmonger of Tasmania, Victoria; died 1933.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ellen Briley

    Married 1852 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Briley in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Briley name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Harry Estelle Briley

    Buried in 1970 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Briley

    Married 1864 in Queens, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Briley name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Florence Annie Briley

    Died 1920, aged 33; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Briley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Briley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. Briley

    Oyal Welsh Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Briley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Briley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Briley is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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