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Sunderland Family History

Sunderland Name Meaning

English: habitational name primarily from High Sunderland in Northowram Halifax (Yorkshire) but occasionally from other places so called for example in Durham Cumberland Lancashire and Northumberland. The placenames derive from Old English sundor-land ‘land set apart for some special purpose private land detached land’ (sundor ‘asunder apart’ + land ‘land’). Compare Sunderlin .

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


Similar surnames: Sutherland, Sunderman, Underwood, Haberland, Litherland, Sandland

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Where is the Sunderland family from?

You can see how Sunderland families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sunderland family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sunderland families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 2,416 Sunderland families living in Yorkshire. This was about 68% of all the recorded Sunderland's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Sunderland families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sunderland surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Sunderland 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 Sunderland. 8% of Sunderland men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Sunderland women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sunderland were Dairy Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duti. .

View Census Data for Sunderland | 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%
  • Cotton Weaver
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Dairy Farmer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Cotton Weaver
    4%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sunderland family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 109,000 census records available for the last name Sunderland. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sunderland census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sunderland

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Sunderland. 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 Sunderland immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Sunderland. For the veterans among your Sunderland ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sunderland military records

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What is the average Sunderland lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Sunderland life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Sunderland in 1945 was 24, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sunderland

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