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Portman Family History

Portman Name Meaning

English (West Midlands): status name from Middle English portman ‘townsman burgher citizen’ (Old English portmann). Dutch: from poort ‘gate’ + man ‘man’ an occupational name for a gatekeeper or a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a walled town. In North America this surname may also be an altered form of the more common variant Poortman. Americanized form of German Portmann .

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


Similar surnames: Portmann, Wortman, Putman, Polman, Notman, Portal, Gorman, Pittman

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Portman family from?

You can see how Portman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Portman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Portman families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 231 Portman families living in Worcestershire. This was about 39% of all the recorded Portman's in United Kingdom. Worcestershire had the highest population of Portman families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Portman 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 Portman ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Colliery Hewer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Portman. 14% of Portman men worked as a Colliery Hewer and 74% of Portman women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Portman were Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic. .

View Census Data for Portman | 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

  • Colliery Hewer
    14%
  • Farm Labourer
    12%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Household Duties
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Portman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Portman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Portman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Portman

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Portman. 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 Portman immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Portman. For the veterans among your Portman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Portman military records

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What is the average Portman lifespan?

Between 1955 and 2004, in the United States, Portman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Portman in 1955 was 44, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Portman

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