The Tolley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,726 people carried this name — #6,005 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,500 people counted. That is up 2% from 5,622 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Tolley surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Bartholomew’.

His entry covers Tolley and Tolly.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 756 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Tolley was found among the farmers of Worcestershire: 26 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.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Worcestershire 26

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

Tolley in American newspapers,
1915–1924.

Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Tolley
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1924-04-20
Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Tolley
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1924-04-20
Newspaper page from The Columbia Herald carrying the name Tolley
The Columbia Herald 1915-07-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 19,373 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tolley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

13,201 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tolley. The most, 3,009, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 5.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 8,021
Victoria 2,249
New South Wales 1,925
Western Australia 467
Queensland 341
Tasmania 116
ACT (Canberra) 47
Northern Territory 8

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

Who carried it

People named Tolley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lee Tolley
    Lee Tolley 1892–1972 · American football official
  • Harold S. Tolley
    Harold S. Tolley 1894–1956 · politician
  • Cyril Tolley
    Cyril Tolley 1895–1978 · politician
  • Cyril Tolley
    Cyril Tolley 1895–1978 · politician
  • Jean Tolley
    Jean Tolley 1899–1986 · actor
  • Robert Tolley 1849–1901 · cricketer

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 Tolley,
in the records of 7 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 States345 records

345 records of the Tolley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 192
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 63
  • Other U.S. records 90
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Julius Tolley

    Born 1924 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; farm hand from Carter County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1994, buried at Mountain Home 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 Edward Robert Tolley

    Born 1949; from Lorain, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Tolley

    Arrived at New York in 1863 aboard the Adelaide from Liverpool, aged 21; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 345 records for Tolley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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, 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). 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).

Australia287 records

287 records of the Tolley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 196
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 72
  • Other Australian records 19
  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 William Tolley

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Aboukir, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Chorley, Lancashire.

    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 Jane Tolley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Escort, aged 25; 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 W. Tolley

    Labourer of Brighton, Victoria; died 1888.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 287 records for Tolley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Tolley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 9
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eli Tolley

    Will proved in 1931; of Swansea.

    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 H. Tolley

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. 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 F. A. Tolley

    Pioneer, Lancashire 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 10 records for Tolley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). 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).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Tolley name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Tolley

    Died 1921; 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 Jennie Tolley

    Died 1939 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 William Henry Tolley

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Tolley in Canada.

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

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Tolley name in New Zealand
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Tolley

    Died 1898; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record L. Tolley

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Tolley 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 Ronald Douglas Tolley

    Born 1930 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Saint-Tropez (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record James Tolley

    Born 1948 in the United Kingdom; died 1993 in Roubaix (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Tolley name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Gwendoline Tolley

    Died 1970 in Eindhoven; born in Biddulph (Uk).

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Eindhoven (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Tolley in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tolley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tolley 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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