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Guthrie Family History

Guthrie Surname Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from a place near Forfar named in Gaelic with gaothair ‘windy place’ (a derivative of gaoth ‘wind’) + the locative suffix -ach. Scottish: possibly an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mag Uchtre ‘son of Uchtre’, a personal name which is perhaps akin to uchtlach ‘child’.

Irish (Clare and Antrim): adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Ó Fhlaithimh ‘descendant of Flaitheamh’, a byname meaning ‘prince’. This is the result of an erroneous association of the Gaelic name in the form Ó Fhlaithimh (Fh being silent) with the Gaelic word laithigh ‘mud’.

Additionally, there was a mistaken link between mud and gutters, as well as an inaccurate connection of the Scottish surname Guthrie with the word ‘gutter’. Compare Laffey.

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


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Where is the Guthrie family from?

You can see how Guthrie families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Guthrie family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Guthrie families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 268 Guthrie families living in London. This was about 21% of all the recorded Guthrie's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Guthrie families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Guthrie 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 Guthrie 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 Guthrie. 13% of Guthrie men worked as a General Labourer and 76% of Guthrie women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Guthrie were Builders Labourer and Shorthand Typist.

View Census Data for Guthrie | 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
    13%
  • Motor Driver
    9%
  • Carpenter
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    76%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Shorthand Typist
    2%

What Guthrie family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 185,000 census records available for the last name Guthrie. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Guthrie census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Guthrie

Passenger Lists

There are 23,000 immigration records available for the last name Guthrie. 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 Guthrie immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 37,000 military records available for the last name Guthrie. For the veterans among your Guthrie ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Guthrie family history

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What is the average Guthrie lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Guthrie life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Guthrie in 1941 was 39, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Guthrie

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Guthrie 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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