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Dey Family History

Dey Surname Meaning

English Scottish and Welsh: variant of Day. German: topographic name from a field name in North Rhine-Westphalia denoting a sizeable piece of land from Middle Low German dē ‘thigh’ (referring to the shape of the property).

German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name of the same origin as in 4 below. Dutch: variant mostly archaic or Americanized of Deij from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name possibly composed with dag ‘day’ e.g. Daegberht or with theud ‘people’ (compare Deibert).

Indian (Bengal and Orissa) and Bangladeshi: Kayastha name probably from Sanskrit deya ‘suitable for a gift’.

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


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Where is the Dey family from?

You can see how Dey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dey families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 108 Dey families living in Yorkshire. This was about 42% of all the recorded Dey's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Dey families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dey 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 Dey ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Incapacitated and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Dey. 25% of Dey men worked as an Incapacitated and 69% of Dey women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dey were Police Constable and Unpaid Domestic Duti.

View Census Data for Dey | 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

  • Incapacitated
    25%
  • General Labourer
    15%
  • Carter
    10%
  • Police Constable
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    3%

What Dey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 32,000 census records available for the last name Dey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dey

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Dey. 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 Dey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Dey. For the veterans among your Dey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dey military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dey family history

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What is the average Dey lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Dey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Dey in 1940 was 51, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dey

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dey 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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