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George Family History

George Surname Meaning

English Welsh French and Romanian: from the personal name George Latin Georgius Greek Geōrgios from an adjectival form geōrgios ‘rustic’ of Greek geōrgos ‘farmer’. This became established as a personal name in classical times through its association with the fashion for pastoral poetry. Its popularity in western Europe increased at the time of the Crusades which brought greater contact with the Orthodox Church in which several Christian martyrs and saints of this name are venerated in particular a saint believed to have been martyred at Nicomedia in AD 303 who however is at best a shadowy figure historically. Nevertheless by the end of the Middle Ages Saint George had become associated with an unhistorical legend of dragon-slaying exploits which caught the popular imagination throughout Europe and he came to be considered the patron saint of England among other places. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages e.g. German Georg Assyrian/Chaldean Giwargis Gewargis or Georgis and Albanian Gjergji and also their patronymics and other derivatives e.g. Greek Georgiadis Georgopoulos Hatzigeorgiou ‘George the Pilgrim’ and Papageorgiou Romanian Georgescu or Gheorghescu Serbian Djordjevic . The name George is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Geevarghese and Varghese ) but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. German: variant of Georg . Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name George (see 1 above) as a surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Georger, Georg, Georgen, Georgia, Georgi, Gorges, Georgas, Gergel

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Where is the George family from?

You can see how George families moved over time by selecting different census years. The George family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most George families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 223 George families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 16% of all the recorded George's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of George families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the George surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your George ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named George. 16% of George men worked as a Laborer and 6% of George women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named George were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for George | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Maid
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What George family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 929,000 census records available for the last name George. Like a window into their day-to-day life, George census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 144,000 immigration records available for the last name George. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 171,000 military records available for the last name George. For the veterans among your George ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average George lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, George life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for George in 1943 was 32, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for George

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