The Smalley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,737 people carried this name — #3,055 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 25,100 people counted. That is up 2% from 11,512 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Smalley surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: Alicia Smalhaghe, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 698 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

47 families named Smalley, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 242 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 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

Vermont 10
Massachusetts 9
Maine 7
New York 7
Pennsylvania 4
North Carolina 4
Connecticut 3
Virginia 2
South Carolina 1

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. 262 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Smalley in American newspapers,
1874–1918.

Newspaper page from Iron County Register carrying the name Smalley
Iron County Register 1918-02-28
Newspaper page from The State Journal carrying the name Smalley
The State Journal 1874-08-21
Newspaper page from Rock Island Argus carrying the name Smalley
Rock Island Argus 1907-08-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 78,650 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Smalley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

12,471 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Smalley. The most, 4,148, 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 Victoria, at 2.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 7,187
New South Wales 2,009
Queensland 1,644
Western Australia 661
South Australia 492
Tasmania 437
ACT (Canberra) 34
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Smalley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • David Allen Smalley
    David Allen Smalley 1809–1877 · judge
  • George Dillingham Smalley
    George Dillingham Smalley 1824–1902 · politician
  • Henry A. Smalley
    Henry A. Smalley 1834–1888 · military officer
  • Bradley Smalley
    Bradley Smalley 1835–1909 · politician
  • Arthur Smalley d. 1948
  • Harriett Joyce Smalley d. 1977

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 Smalley,
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 States1,046 records

1,046 records of the Smalley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 411
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 206
  • Other U.S. records 429
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leonard N. Smalley

    Born 1913 in Alabama. Enlisted 1941 at Fort McClellan; miner. U.S. Army veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War; died 1996, buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    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 Lloyd Buchanan Smalley

    Born 1930; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps; died of wounds 1952 in Korea. Buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Emma Smalley

    Arrived at New York in 1870 aboard the City of Brooklyn from Liverpool, aged 27; servant. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,046 records for Smalley 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · 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); 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).

Australia215 records

215 records of the Smalley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 112
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 53
  • Other Australian records 50
  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 Thomas Smalley

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maria, sailing from Portsmouth in 1820. Native of Wallcott, Leicestershire.

    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 Richard Smalley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Albatross, aged 24; 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 Margaret Smalley

    Gentlewoman of Bendigo, Victoria; died 1940.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 215 records for Smalley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · 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).

Canada28 records

28 records of the Smalley name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 8
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Slarence P. Smalley

    Died 1916 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Amos Henry Smalley

    Died 1945; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  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 Donald Jesse Smalley

    Died in service in 1946.

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

Showing 3 of 28 records for Smalley 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. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom22 records

22 records of the Smalley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 19
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  • 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 Catherine Louise Smalley

    Will proved in 1935; of Rhyl, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Smalley

    Buried in 1833 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 64.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  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. Smalley

    Highland Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 22 records for Smalley 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); 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 Zealand8 records

8 records of the Smalley name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Smalley

    Died 1920, aged 67; buried at Yaldhurst Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eilene Matilda Smalley

    Died 1994; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Smalley

    Died 1981, aged 77; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Smalley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Smalley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Smalley 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 Smalley volume
Scroll to Top