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Deacon Family History

Deacon Name Meaning

English: from Middle English deken dicoun ‘deacon a priest's assistant at church services’ (Old French diacne Old English diacon dēacon both ultimately from Late Latin diaconus from Greek diakonos ‘servant’). Since deacons were in holy orders they would not be permitted to marry (with allowance for those few already married when ordained) so the surname is probably in most cases a secular nickname rather than the name of a church official perhaps denoting a deacon's servant. English: variant of Dicken . Irish (Wexford): of English origin (see 1 and 2 above) taken to Ireland in the 17th century. When the Irish surname is not of English origin it may be an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Deocáin ‘descendant of Deocán’ a personal name of uncertain etymology.

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


Similar surnames: Dean, Dragon, Bacon, Seaton, Devon, Heaton, Macon, Nealon, Fearon

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Where is the Deacon family from?

You can see how Deacon families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Deacon family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Deacon families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 801 Deacon families living in London. This was about 16% of all the recorded Deacon's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Deacon families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Deacon surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Deacon 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 Deacon. 8% of Deacon men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Deacon women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Deacon were Farmer and Private Means. .

View Census Data for Deacon | 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
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Farmer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Private Means
    3%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Deacon family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 129,000 census records available for the last name Deacon. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Deacon census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Deacon

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Deacon. 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.

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Draft Cards

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

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What is the average Deacon lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Deacon life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Deacon in 1951 was 76, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Deacon

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