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Billy Family History

Billy Surname Meaning

French and Walloon: habitational name from Billy the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France. The placename is from Gallo-Roman Billiacum from the Gallic personal name Billios (from Latin Billius) + the locative suffix -acum.

English: habitational name from any of several places called Billy such as Billy Row in Brancepeth (Durham) or Billy Farm in Somerset. English: from the Middle English female personal name Billy, a pet form of Mabel or Sibyl.

Slovak and Czech (Billý): probably a variant of Bilý (see Bily). Native American (Navajo): variant of Billie 1 which can be of Navajo origin meaning literally ‘his horse’ or an adoption of the English personal name Billy (see 6 below).

Compare Billey 5 and Billie Native American (e.g. Choctaw): adoption of the English personal name Billy (pet form of William) as a surname.

Compare Billey 6 and Billie.

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


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Where is the Billy family from?

You can see how Billy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Billy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Billy families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 20 Billy families living in London. This was about 26% of all the recorded Billy's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Billy families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Billy 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 Billy 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 Billy. 100% of Billy men worked as a General Labourer and 100% of Billy women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Billy | 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
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Billy family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 14,000 census records available for the last name Billy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Billy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Billy

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Billy. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Billy. For the veterans among your Billy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Billy lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Billy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Billy in 1950 was 34, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Billy

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Billy 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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