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Billington Family History

Billington Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the three places called Billington in Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Bedfordshire. The first of these is first recorded in 1196 as Billingduna ‘sword-shaped hill’ (see Bill); the second is in Domesday Book as Belintone ‘settlement (Old English tūn) of Billa’; the one in Bedfordshire is recorded in 1196 as Billendon from an Old English personal name Billa + dūn ‘hill’.

The place in Lancashire is the most likely source of the surname.

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


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Where is the Billington family from?

You can see how Billington families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Billington family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Billington families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,666 Billington families living in Lancashire. This was about 43% of all the recorded Billington's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Billington families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Billington 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 Billington 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 Billington. 9% of Billington men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Billington women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Billington were Plumber and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Billington | 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
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Plumber
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Cotton Weaver
    4%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

What Billington family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 66,000 census records available for the last name Billington. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Billington census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Billington

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Billington. 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 Billington immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Billington. For the veterans among your Billington ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Billington military records

You've only scratched the surface of Billington family history

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What is the average Billington lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Billington life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Billington in 1942 was 58, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Billington

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Billington ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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