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Firth Family History

Firth Name Meaning

English: topographic name from Middle English firthe frithe frethe ‘frith wood woodland’ also ‘hunting ground’ (whether or not wooded). These are forms of Old English firhthe (ge)fyrhthe ferhthe in which the awkward consonant cluster -rhth- was simplified by dropping medial -h- and sometimes metathesizing the -r-. In medieval Sowerbyshire Yorkshire and Derbyshire the friths were areas reserved for hunting so the surname there may have belonged to forest officials. Scottish: habitational name from Firth in Orkney.

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


Similar surnames: Furth, Forth, Worth, Wirth, Fitz, Garth, North, Warth, Fitch, Mirto

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Firth family from?

You can see how Firth families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Firth family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Firth families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 6,842 Firth families living in Yorkshire. This was about 78% of all the recorded Firth's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Firth families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Firth surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Firth ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Firth. 7% of Firth men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Firth women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Firth were Insurance Agent and Incapacitated. .

View Census Data for Firth | 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 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Dyers Labourer
    3%
  • Insurance Agent
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Firth family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 267,000 census records available for the last name Firth. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Firth census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Firth

Passenger Lists

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Firth. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Firth immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Firth. For the veterans among your Firth ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Firth military records

You've only scratched the surface of Firth family history

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What is the average Firth lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Firth life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Firth in 1943 was 42, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Firth

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