Show ContentsCarley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The story of the Carley family begins in ancient Scotland among the Pictish clans. The Carley family lived in Aberdeen (part of the modern Grampian region), where the name can be found since very early times.

Early Origins of the Carley family

The surname Carley was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Carley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carley research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1493, 1575, 1592, 1619, 1633, 1638, 1647, 1675, 1747 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Carley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carley Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Carley has appeared Carle, Carley, Carlley, Carrley, Carlie, Carleigh, Carlea, Carlee, Carrlie, Carlies, Carleys, Carleas, Carlay, Carley, Carrlay, Carrley, Carrleys, Karley and many more.

Early Notables of the Carley family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Hippolitus Curle (1592-1638), Scottish Jesuit, son of Gilbert Curle, Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots, by his wife, Barbara Mowbray. "He studied in the Scotch seminary at Douay, and entered the Society of Jesus at Tournai. During the second year of his noviceship his aunt, Elizabeth Curle, died at Antwerp (29 March 1619), leaving him sixty thousand florins. The bulk of this fortune he devoted to the use of the seminary at Douay, of which he is...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carley Ranking

In the United States, the name Carley is the 7,692nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Ireland Migration of the Carley family to Ireland

Some of the Carley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Carley migration to the United States +

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Carley name:

Carley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Samuel Carley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 [2]
Carley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Carley a mariner of Boston who married Mary Boaden on the 7th May 1703
  • William Carley, who settled in Virginia in 1760
Carley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hugh Carley, who arrived in New Orleans Louisiana in 1823
  • Thomas Carley, who settled in Philadelphia in 1842
  • George Carley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1860 [2]

Canada Carley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Abraham Carley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [3]
  • Mr. Bartholemew Carley U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 [3]
  • Mr. Elijah Carley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [3]
Carley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Carley, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843

Australia Carley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Carley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Carley, (b. 1820), aged 24, English tailor who was convicted in Lewes, Sussex, England for 21 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Blundell" on 13th March 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1917 [4]
  • Cathe. Carley, aged 31, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" [5]
  • Cathe. Carley, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" [5]
  • John Carley, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Hyderabad" [6]
  • Bridget Carley (aged 20), a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Carley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Carley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Anna Maria Carley, aged 29, a servant, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Slains Castle" in 1841
  • Ms. Anna Maria Carley, (b. 1811), aged 29, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 [7]
  • Cornelius Carley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863
  • Henrietta Carley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name Carley (post 1700) +

  • George Holmes Carley (1938-2020), American lawyer and jurist, 29th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia (2012)
  • Christopher T. Carley (1943-2016), American real estate developer, Chairman of the Fordham Company, a Chicago real estate development firm
  • Stephen E. Carley, American Chief Executive Officer and President of El Pollo Loco
  • Christopher Murphy Carley (b. 1978), Mexican-born, American actor, known for his roles in Gran Torino (2008), Garden State (2004) and Lions for Lambs (2007)
  • Horace Carley (1838-1918), American inventor of the Carley float, an invertible life raft used extensively during World War I and II
  • Christopher T Carley, American Chairman of the Fordham Company, a Chicago real estate development firm
  • John H. Carley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 2008 [8]
  • John Carley, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 4th District, 1992 [8]
  • James A. Carley (b. 1869), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 3rd District, 1909-10; Member of Minnesota State Senate 3rd District, 1915-30, 1935-59 [8]
  • Deborah Carley, American politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 6th Circuit, 2012 [8]
  • ... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blundell
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm
  6. South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Hyderabad 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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