The Finley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 37,672 people carried this name — #922 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,830 people counted. That is up 2% from 36,874 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Finley surname

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Variant of Finlay.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

111 families named Finley, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 600 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 53
South Carolina 19
North Carolina 13
Virginia 7
Connecticut 6
Maryland 6
New York 3
New Hampshire 2
Vermont 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Finley in American newspapers,
1895–1917.

Newspaper page from Yellowstone Monitor carrying the name Finley
Yellowstone Monitor 1913-08-28
Newspaper page from The Canton Times carrying the name Finley
The Canton Times 1895-07-05
Newspaper page from The Daily Commonwealth carrying the name Finley
The Daily Commonwealth 1917-07-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 222,015 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Finley in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

10,190 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Finley. The most, 2,246, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,497
Victoria 2,248
Queensland 1,163
South Australia 526
Western Australia 411
Tasmania 184
ACT (Canberra) 120
Northern Territory 3

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

Who carried it

People named Finley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Finley
    Samuel Finley 1715–1766 · Christian minister
  • James Edward Burr Finley
    James Edward Burr Finley 1758–1819 · physician
  • Robert Finley
    Robert Finley 1772–1817 · pastor
  • John Finley
    John Finley 1775–1853 · Christian minister
  • Clement Finley
    Clement Finley 1797–1879 · military physician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 217 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Finley,
in the records of 6 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 States3,749 records

3,749 records of the Finley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,299
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 986
  • Other U.S. records 1,464
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George E. Finley

    Born 1908 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Bliss El Paso, Texas; farmer. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Finley

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Patricia from Cuxhaven, aged 24; sailor. From Manchester, England; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Edward Finley

    Born 1930; from Clay County, Kentucky. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,749 records for Finley in the United States.

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

Australia305 records

305 records of the Finley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 177
  • Tasmanian Names Index 58
  • Other Australian records 70
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Finley

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1837. Married 1837 in Hamilton, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Robert Finley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Waterloo, arriving 1838; certificate of freedom 1845.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Finley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Brightman, aged 33; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 305 records for Finley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada228 records

228 records of the Finley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 181
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 13
  • Other Canadian records 34
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Finley

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Amelia E. Finley

    Buried in 1955 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 67.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Henry Clifford Finley

    Died 1953 in Linden, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 228 records for Finley in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Finley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hugh Finley

    Will proved in 1886; of Carnarvon, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. H. Finley

    Coldstream Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Finley

    Lancaspiire 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 3 of 6 records for Finley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · 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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Finley name in New Zealand Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Wallace Finley

    Died 1906; buried at Cust Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Waimakariri District 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Finley name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Alfred Finley

    Married in 1946 in Assen; butcher.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Finley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Finley 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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