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Spurgeon Family History

Spurgeon Surname Meaning

English (Essex): apparently a variant of Spurden itself a possible nickname from Middle English spore spure (Old English spora spura) ‘spur’ or the derived verb sporen ‘to urge incite’ + daunce ‘dance’. Alternatively the first element may be spurnen spornen ‘stumble trip kick’ or ‘spurn reject’ with assimilation of the first -n- giving Spordaunce.

However the change in the medial consonant of Spurgeon is difficult to explain without an intermediary Spurdion (or something similar) which is not on record and would be an irregular development of Spurden.

The name may have been influenced by confusion with Pridgeon and Spridgeon but the evidence for this is slight.

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


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Where is the Spurgeon family from?

You can see how Spurgeon families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Spurgeon family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Spurgeon families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 425 Spurgeon families living in Essex. This was about 39% of all the recorded Spurgeon's in United Kingdom. Essex had the highest population of Spurgeon families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Spurgeon 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 Spurgeon 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 Spurgeon. 12% of Spurgeon men worked as a General Labourer and 73% of Spurgeon women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Spurgeon were Gardener and Housewife.

View Census Data for Spurgeon | 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
    12%
  • Builders Labourer
    8%
  • Wood Machinist
    6%
  • Gardener
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Housewife
    3%

What Spurgeon family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 46,000 census records available for the last name Spurgeon. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Spurgeon census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Spurgeon

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Spurgeon. 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 Spurgeon immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Spurgeon. For the veterans among your Spurgeon 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 Spurgeon family history

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What is the average Spurgeon lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Spurgeon life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Spurgeon in 1950 was 31, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Spurgeon

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Spurgeon 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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