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Turness Family History

Turness 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: Furness, Urness, Burness, Turner, Burgess, Harness, Turney, Garness

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Turness family from?

You can see how Turness families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Turness family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Turness families were found in USA in 1880, and United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 2 Turness families living in Yorkshire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Turness's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Turness families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Turness 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 Turness ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Licensed Victualler and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Turness. 34% of Turness men worked as a Licensed Victualler and 89% of Turness women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Turness were Licensed Caterermanager and Shorthand Typist.

View Census Data for Turness | 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

  • Licensed Victualler
    34%
  • General Labourer
    34%
  • Licensed Caterermanager
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    89%
  • Shorthand Typist
    12%

What Turness family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Turness. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Turness census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Turness

Passenger Lists

There are 155 immigration records available for the last name Turness. 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 Turness immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 47 military records available for the last name Turness. For the veterans among your Turness ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Turness military records

You've only scratched the surface of Turness family history

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What is the average Turness lifespan?

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Turness 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 Turness

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