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Wadsworth Family History

Wadsworth Name Meaning

English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): habitational name from Wadsworth near Halifax Yorkshire. The placename derives from an Old English personal name Wæddi (genitive Wæddes) + Old English worth ‘enclosure’.

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


Similar surnames: Dodsworth, Walworth, Bedsworth, Hemsworth, Hawksworth, Hainsworth

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Wadsworth family from?

You can see how Wadsworth families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wadsworth family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wadsworth families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 2,512 Wadsworth families living in Yorkshire. This was about 56% of all the recorded Wadsworth's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Wadsworth families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wadsworth surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Wadsworth 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 Wadsworth. 10% of Wadsworth men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Wadsworth women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wadsworth were Colliery Hewer and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Wadsworth | 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%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Colliery Hewer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Private Means
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wadsworth family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 153,000 census records available for the last name Wadsworth. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wadsworth census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wadsworth

Passenger Lists

There are 116,000 immigration records available for the last name Wadsworth. 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 Wadsworth immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 18,000 military records available for the last name Wadsworth. For the veterans among your Wadsworth ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wadsworth military records

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What is the average Wadsworth lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Wadsworth life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Wadsworth in 1943 was 50, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wadsworth

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