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Gunness Family History

Gunness Surname Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Gunnels, Furness, Gunnell, Gunner, Garness, Urness, Guess, Gunnett

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Gunness family from?

You can see how Gunness families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gunness family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Gunness families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 25 Gunness families living in Lancashire. This was about 39% of all the recorded Gunness's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Gunness families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gunness 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 Gunness ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Nurse were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gunness. 60% of Gunness men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Gunness women worked as a Nurse.

View Census Data for Gunness | 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

  • Farmer
    60%
  • Machinist
    20%
  • Farm Laborer
    20%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Nurse
    100%

What Gunness family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Gunness. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gunness census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Gunness

Passenger Lists

There are 372 immigration records available for the last name Gunness. 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 Gunness immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 228 military records available for the last name Gunness. For the veterans among your Gunness ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gunness military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gunness family history

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What is the average Gunness lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Gunness life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1977, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Gunness in 1963 was 65, and 93 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gunness

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gunness 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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