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Silk Family History

Silk Surname Meaning

English: nickname for someone who made or sold silk from Middle English silk selk ‘silk’ (Old English seolc).

English: from a shortened form of the Middle English personal name Silkin a diminutive of Sil (see Sill).

Irish (Galway): in Ireland adopted for Gaelic Ó Síoda though never for Mac Síoda (see Sheedy).

Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Seide or Seid.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Silk family from?

You can see how Silk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Silk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Silk families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 279 Silk families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Silk's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Silk families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Silk 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 Silk 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 Silk. 8% of Silk men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Silk women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Silk were Plumber and Housewife.

View Census Data for Silk | 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%
  • Incapacitated
    6%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Plumber
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%

What Silk family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 53,000 census records available for the last name Silk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Silk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Silk

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Silk. 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 Silk immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Silk. For the veterans among your Silk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Silk military records

You've only scratched the surface of Silk family history

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What is the average Silk lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Silk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Silk in 1950 was 43, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Silk

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Silk 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Silk family tree

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