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Forman Family History

Forman Surname Meaning

English: status name for a leader or spokesman for a group from Middle English fore-man ‘foreman reeve’ (from the Old English prefix fore- ‘foremost’ + mann ‘man’). The word is attested in this sense from the 15th century but is not used specifically for the leader of a gang of workers before the late 16th century.

English: variant of Fordman with loss of -d- from Middle English ford ‘ford’ (Old English ford) + man denoting either a dweller by or a keeper of a ford. Compare Forder.

Americanized form of German Fohrmann (see Fohrman).

Czech and Jewish (from Bohemia and Moravia): occupational name for a carter. Czech forman a loanword from German.

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


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Where is the Forman family from?

You can see how Forman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Forman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Forman families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 268 Forman families living in Lincolnshire. This was about 21% of all the recorded Forman's in United Kingdom. Lincolnshire had the highest population of Forman families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Forman 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 Forman 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 Forman. 10% of Forman men worked as a General Labourer and 74% of Forman women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Forman were Bricklayer and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Forman | 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
    10%
  • General Farm Labourer
    6%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Forman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 80,000 census records available for the last name Forman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Forman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Forman

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Forman. 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 Forman immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Forman. For the veterans among your Forman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Forman military records

You've only scratched the surface of Forman family history

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What is the average Forman lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Forman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Forman in 1941 was 65, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Forman

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Forman 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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