The Headley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,250 people carried this name — #3,830 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,800 people counted. That is up 5% from 8,830 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Headley surname

From Old English hǣþ (“heath”) + lēah (“clearing”).

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Headley’.

An early record he cites: Alan de Hedleg’, Shropshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Headley, Hedley and Headly.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 370 · public domain.

In print

Headley in American newspapers,
1883–1884.

Newspaper page from Watertown Republican carrying the name Headley
Watertown Republican 1884-04-16
Newspaper page from St. Johnsbury Caledonian carrying the name Headley
St. Johnsbury Caledonian 1883-04-06
Newspaper page from The Douglas Independent carrying the name Headley
The Douglas Independent 1883-12-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 40,148 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Headley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

4,515 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Headley. The most, 915, date from the 1890s. 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 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,687
Victoria 1,102
Queensland 218
Western Australia 181
South Australia 159
Tasmania 152
ACT (Canberra) 7
Northern Territory 6

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

Who carried it

People named Headley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joel T. Headley
    Joel T. Headley 1813–1897 · writer
  • George Headley
    George Headley 1909–1983 · cricketer
  • P. C. Headley 1819–1903 · writer
  • William Headley 1856–1915 · vicar
  • Richard Llewelyn Headley 1862–1955 · Anglican priest
  • Katherine Headley 1872–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Headley,
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 States603 records

603 records of the Headley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 304
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 95
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 81
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 61
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 34
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 21
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Paul Headley

    Born 1944; from Madison, Tennessee. U.S. Army, medical specialist; killed in action 1968 in Pleiku, South Vietnam. Buried at Nashville National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John D. Headley

    Born 1920 in Colorado. Enlisted 1943 at Sheppard Field Witchita Falls, Texas; aircraft worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Dewitt Clinton from Liverpool, aged 30; laundrymaid. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 603 records for Headley in the United States.

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

Australia148 records

148 records of the Headley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 79
  • Tasmanian Names Index 47
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 8
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Maurice Vere Headley

    Died 1929 in Springfield, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1929.

    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 Henry Headley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Duke of Portland, arriving 1807.

    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 Mary Headley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Northumberland, aged 20; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 148 records for Headley 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). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (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).

Canada24 records

24 records of the Headley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 16
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gerald Headley

    Died 1950; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Isabella Headley

    Died 1910 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Hugh Headley

    Died in service in 1942.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 24 records for Headley in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Headley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Headley

    Buried in 1829 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 29.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Headley

    Leicestershire Regiment. 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 E. Headley

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. 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 5 records for Headley 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: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Headley name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Keith Headley

    Born 1938 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Loon-Plage (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Headley in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Headley 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 Ruby Constantia Headley

    Married in 1939 in Roermond; born 1917 in Paramaribo (Suriname).

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (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 Headley.

When the index is not enough

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

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