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Bowlby Family History

Bowlby Surname Meaning

English (Yorkshire): habitational name from Boulby in North Yorkshire or Bulby in Lincolnshire both of which are named with the Old Norse byname Boli (from boli ‘bull’) + Old Norse bȳ ‘farmstead settlement’.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Bowlby family from?

You can see how Bowlby families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bowlby family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bowlby families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 99 Bowlby families living in Yorkshire. This was about 58% of all the recorded Bowlby's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Bowlby families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bowlby 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 Bowlby ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Machine Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bowlby. 100% of Bowlby men worked as a Machine Labourer and 69% of Bowlby women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Bowlby | 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

  • Machine Labourer
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Private Means
    15%
  • Incapacitated
    6%
  • Domestic Duties
    6%

What Bowlby family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search UK census records for Bowlby

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

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

View all Bowlby military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bowlby family history

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What is the average Bowlby lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Bowlby life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Bowlby in 1943 was 33, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bowlby

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bowlby 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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