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Douglas Family History

Douglas Name Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from any of various places called from their situation on a river named with Gaelic dubh ‘dark black’ + glas ‘stream’ (a derivative of glas ‘blue’). There are several localities in Scotland and Ireland so named but the one from which the surname is derived in most if not all cases is Douglas in Lanarkshire 20 miles south of Glasgow the original stronghold of the influential Douglas family and their retainers.

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


Similar surnames: Dallas, Douglass, Dugan, Hougham, Dolak, Moulis, Dollar, Dugal

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Where is the Douglas family from?

You can see how Douglas families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Douglas family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Douglas families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,153 Douglas families living in London. This was about 14% of all the recorded Douglas's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Douglas families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Douglas surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Douglas 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 Douglas. 10% of Douglas men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Douglas women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Douglas were Incapacitated and Domestic Servant. .

View Census Data for Douglas | 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
    10%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Douglas family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 631,000 census records available for the last name Douglas. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Douglas census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Douglas

Passenger Lists

There are 115,000 immigration records available for the last name Douglas. 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 Douglas immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 121,000 military records available for the last name Douglas. For the veterans among your Douglas ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Douglas lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Douglas life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Douglas in 1941 was 42, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Douglas

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