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Lamb Family History

Lamb Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Lamb a pet form of Lambert. English: nickname for a meek and inoffensive person from Middle English lamb or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of lambs. See also Lamm.

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Luain ‘descendant of the warrior’ formerly Anglicized as O'Loan (see Lane). MacLysaght comments: “The form Lamb(e) which results from a more than usually absurd pseudo-translation (uan ‘lamb’) is now much more numerous than O'Loan itself.”

German: variant of Lamm. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine).

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 藍 (see Lan) and 林 (see Lin).

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


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Where is the Lamb family from?

You can see how Lamb families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lamb family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lamb families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,161 Lamb families living in Lancashire. This was about 16% of all the recorded Lamb's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Lamb families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lamb 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 Lamb 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 Lamb. 8% of Lamb men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Lamb women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lamb were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Lamb | 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
    8%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Farmer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Lamb family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 557,000 census records available for the last name Lamb. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lamb census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Lamb

Passenger Lists

There are 59,000 immigration records available for the last name Lamb. 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 Lamb immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 75,000 military records available for the last name Lamb. For the veterans among your Lamb ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lamb military records

You've only scratched the surface of Lamb family history

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What is the average Lamb lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Lamb life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Lamb in 1940 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Lamb

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Lamb 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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