The Sealey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,665 people carried this name — #8,934 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 80,600 people counted. That is up 14% from 3,228 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sealey surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the seely’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: William Sely, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Seeley, Seely, Sealey, Sealy and Seelye.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 676 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Sealey was found among the farmers of Somerset: 17 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Sealey and Sealy.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Somerset 17

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Sealey in American newspapers,
1907–1919.

Newspaper page from The Liberal Democrat carrying the name Sealey
The Liberal Democrat 1911-06-02
Newspaper page from The Liberal Democrat carrying the name Sealey
The Liberal Democrat 1919-04-10
Newspaper page from St. Landry Clarion carrying the name Sealey
St. Landry Clarion 1907-09-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,258 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sealey in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

4,381 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sealey. The most, 659, date from the 1900s. 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 South Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,406
Victoria 1,140
Queensland 842
South Australia 779
Western Australia 93
Tasmania 86
ACT (Canberra) 32
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Sealey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alfred Sealey d. 1862 · engraver
  • Eleanor Godfrey Sealey d. 1919
  • William Oscar Sealey 1859–1940 · politician
  • Ben Sealey 1899–1963 · cricketer
  • Roy Anthony Sealey 1917–2008 · architect
  • Raphael Sealey 1927–2013 · historian

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

In the public record

People named Sealey,
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 States353 records

353 records of the Sealey name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 108
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 89
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 45
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 44
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 35
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 21
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 11
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William M. Sealey

    Born 1916 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Bragg; welder from Rowan County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Salisbury National Cemetery, North Carolina.

    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 Cathne Sealey

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the Alert from Cork, aged 20; laborer. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Carey B. Sealey

    U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1944, died 1987; buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 353 records for Sealey in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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). 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); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia215 records

215 records of the Sealey name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 79
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 65
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 41
  • Tasmanian Names Index 21
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 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 Richard Sealey

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Equestrian, arriving 1848; certificate of freedom 1862.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Asia, aged 27; English.

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

    Retired farmer of Sandford, Victoria; died 1994.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 215 records for Sealey 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) · 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: 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).

Canada18 records

18 records of the Sealey name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 8
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Sealey

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

    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 Horace Albert Sealey

    Died 1916; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

    Died 1971 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, aged 68.

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

Showing 3 of 18 records for Sealey in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. 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 Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Sealey name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 6
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizb Sealey

    Buried in 1792 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 80.

    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 T. A. Sealey

    Lance Corporal, Cameron Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 G. Sealey

    Lance Corporal, Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 10 records for Sealey 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).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Sealey 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 Allan Reginald Sealey

    Died 1961, aged 45; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Sealey 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).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Sealey.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sealey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sealey 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.

See the Sealey volume
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