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Wanless Family History

Wanless Name Meaning

Scottish and English (Durham and Northumberland): nickname from Middle English and Older Scots wanles ‘luckless hopeless despairing’.

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


Similar surnames: Manley, Harless, Lawless, Gales, Sales, Wanlass, Hurless, Eales

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Wanless family from?

You can see how Wanless families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wanless family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wanless families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 248 Wanless families living in Durham. This was about 50% of all the recorded Wanless's in United Kingdom. Durham had the highest population of Wanless families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wanless 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 Wanless 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 Wanless. 29% of Wanless men worked as a General Labourer and 81% of Wanless women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wanless were Miner Filler and Private Means. .

View Census Data for Wanless | 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
    29%
  • Bricklayer
    18%
  • Builders Labourer
    8%
  • Miner Filler
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    81%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    5%
  • Unpaid Household Duties
    3%
  • Private Means
    3%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wanless family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Wanless. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wanless census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wanless

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Wanless. 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 Wanless immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Wanless military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wanless family history

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What is the average Wanless lifespan?

Between 1952 and 2004, in the United States, Wanless life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1952. The average life expectancy for Wanless in 1952 was 100, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wanless

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