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Shapespeare Family History

Shapespeare 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: Shakespeare, Sapper, Chappelear, Spessard, Makepeace, Sageser

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Shapespeare family from?

You can see how Shapespeare families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shapespeare family name was found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there was 1 Shapespeare family living in Gloucestershire. This was about 50% of all the recorded Shapespeare's in United Kingdom. Gloucestershire and 1 other county had the highest population of Shapespeare families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shapespeare 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 Shapespeare ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Polisher was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Shapespeare. 100% of Shapespeare women worked as a Polisher.

View Census Data for Shapespeare | 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 Female Occupations In 1939

  • Polisher
    100%

What Shapespeare family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19 census records available for the last name Shapespeare. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shapespeare census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Shapespeare

Passenger Lists

There are 6 immigration records available for the last name Shapespeare. 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 Shapespeare immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Shapespeare. For the veterans among your Shapespeare ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shapespeare military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shapespeare family history

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What is the average Shapespeare lifespan?

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shapespeare 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.

Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shapespeare

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