The Kerley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,342 people carried this name — #6,375 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 55,200 people counted. That is up 15% from 4,640 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Kerley surname

Variant of Curley.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Kerley name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Louth.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 6
Munster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Kerley in American newspapers,
1904–1923.

Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Kerley
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1923-09-09
Newspaper page from Telegraf carrying the name Kerley
Telegraf 1923-09-14
Newspaper page from The Daily Ardmoreite carrying the name Kerley
The Daily Ardmoreite 1904-07-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,307 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kerley in Australian newspapers,
1850s–2010s.

3,357 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kerley. The most, 553, date from the 1920s. Victoria 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 South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,162
South Australia 857
Queensland 636
New South Wales 599
Western Australia 70
Tasmania 12
ACT (Canberra) 7
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Kerley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harry Kerley 1894–1987 · Australian rules football player
  • Peter Kerley 1900–1979 · radiologist
  • Don Kerley 1917–1996 · Australian rules football player
  • Robert F. Kerley 1920–2006 · mentor
  • Neil Kerley 1934–2022 · Australian rules football player
  • Lyndell Monroe Kerley 1942–2020

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kerley,
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 States370 records

370 records of the Kerley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 169
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 60
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 47
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 46
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 21
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 14
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 12
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ralph A. Kerley

    Born 1917 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; machine shop worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1967, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 Lawrence Kerley

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the La Bretagne from Boulogne and Rotterdam, aged 31; student. From Munster, Germany; bound for Worcester.

    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 Royd Steve Kerley

    Born 1946; from Charlotte, North Carolina. U.S. Army, radio teletype operator; killed in action 1967 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 370 records for Kerley 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). 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).

Australia102 records

102 records of the Kerley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 47
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 20
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 19
  • Tasmanian Names Index 8
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. 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 Jeremiah Kerley

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Henry Porcher, sailing from London in 1836.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Kerley

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Scottish Knight, aged 27.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Kerley

    Former warder of Geelong, Victoria; died 1895.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 102 records for Kerley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Kerley name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edward Kerley

    Buried in 1974 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 page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Edward Wilson Kerley

    Died 1964 in Maders Cove, Lunenburg, 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 Alfred George Kerley

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 7 records for Kerley in Canada.

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. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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 Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Kerley name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Kerley

    King's (Liverpool Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

    Lance Corporal, East Lancashire 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 J. W. Kerley

    Royal 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 3 of 6 records for Kerley in the United Kingdom.

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

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Kerley 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 Frances Kerley

    Died 1936, aged 60; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Kerley 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 Eileen Dorotheij Kerley

    Married in 1948 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (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 Kerley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kerley 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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