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Deforest Family History

Deforest Surname Meaning

French: variant with fused preposition de ‘from’ of the habitational or topographic name Forest. This surname is very rare in France.

Compare Deforrest, Defrees, and Defreest.

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


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Where is the Deforest family from?

You can see how Deforest families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Deforest family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Deforest families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 65 Deforest families living in New York. This was about 51% of all the recorded Deforest's in USA. New York had the highest population of Deforest families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Deforest surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Deforest ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Deforest. 20% of Deforest men worked as a Laborer and 16% of Deforest women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Deforest were Salesman and Saleslady.

View Census Data for Deforest | 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.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    20%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Carpenter
    9%
  • Salesman
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    16%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housework
    10%
  • Saleslady
    10%

What Deforest family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Deforest. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Deforest census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Deforest

Passenger Lists

There are 764 immigration records available for the last name Deforest. 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 Deforest immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Deforest military records

You've only scratched the surface of Deforest family history

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What is the average Deforest lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Deforest life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Deforest in 1949 was 47, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Deforest

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Deforest 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Deforest family tree

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