The Tooley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,371 people carried this name — #7,605 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 67,600 people counted. That is up 5% from 4,149 in 2000.

See Tooley on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Tooley surname

Anglicized form of the Old Norse personal name Þórleifr, which is composed of the elements Þórr (“Thor”) and leifr (“inheritor”) (compare líf). (Note: Tooley Street in London, England, is of Old Norse origin, but is not from Þórleifr. It is a shortening of Sant Ole, meaning Saint Olaf.)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Tooley» (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 baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Toly’.

An early record he cites: Robert Toly, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 757 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Tooley was found among the farmers of Norfolk: 11 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

Norfolk 11

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 the first U.S. census, 1790

30 families named Tooley, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 162 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

North Carolina 16
Virginia 9
Connecticut 4
Vermont 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. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Tooley in American newspapers,
1902–1917.

Newspaper page from Harrisburg Telegraph carrying the name Tooley
Harrisburg Telegraph 1915-09-01
Newspaper page from Perrysburg Journal carrying the name Tooley
Perrysburg Journal 1917-02-22
Newspaper page from Ceredo Advance carrying the name Tooley
Ceredo Advance 1902-06-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,319 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tooley in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

2,445 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tooley. The most, 473, date from the 1930s. 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 Queensland, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 916
Queensland 686
Victoria 434
South Australia 179
Tasmania 147
Western Australia 59
ACT (Canberra) 19

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

Who carried it

People named Tooley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard Tooley
    Richard Tooley 1820–1910 · politician
  • Bert Tooley
    Bert Tooley 1886–1976 · baseball player
  • Howard Tooley d. 1954 · writer
  • Henry Tooley d. 1551 · businessperson
  • Nicholas Tooley 1583–1623 · actor
  • James Tooley 1816–1844 · painter

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 Tooley,
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 States511 records

511 records of the Tooley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 170
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 113
  • Other U.S. records 228
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph A. Tooley

    Born 1916 in Kansas. Enlisted 1941 at Los Angeles, California; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Burney Cemetery, California.

    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 James Edward Tooley

    Born 1946; from Parma, Idaho. U.S. Army, wire systems installer; died in an accident 1966 in 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 Peggy Tooley

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the Eliza Keith from Liverpool, aged 20; laborer. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 511 records for Tooley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · 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).

Australia98 records

98 records of the Tooley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 45
  • Tasmanian Names Index 18
  • Other Australian records 35
  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 Tooley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Fanny, arriving 1816; ticket of exemption 1830.

    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 Samuel Tooley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Arrogant, aged 37; 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 William T. Tooley

    Police constable of Kaniva, Victoria; died 1930.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 98 records for Tooley 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (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).

Canada12 records

12 records of the Tooley name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Walter Tooley

    Came to Ontario in 1877 aboard the Sas., landing at Portland, bound for Bolton, Ontario; English.

    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 Herbert Tooley

    Died 1952; 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 Rex Sutherland Tooley

    Died in service in 1944.

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

Showing 3 of 12 records for Tooley in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Tooley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 9
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Tooley

    Buried in 1796 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Fanny Tooley

    Will proved in 1933; of Colwyn Bay, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Tooley

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. 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 11 records for Tooley 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: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); 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).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Tooley 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 Neville Herbert Tooley

    Died 1981, aged 49; buried at Sydenham 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 Webb James Tooley

    Died 1979, aged 86; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Muriel Tooley

    Died 1961, aged 59; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Tooley 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tooley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tooley 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 Tooley volume
Scroll to Top