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Cairn Family History

Cairn Surname Meaning

Apparently an altered form of Kieran. Perhaps sometimes, especially in England, a late variant of Cairns with loss of final -s; compare the pairing William Carns 1777, Thomas Carne 1798 in IGI (Liverpool, Lancs).

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Cairn family from?

You can see how Cairn families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cairn family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cairn families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 3 Cairn families living in London. This was about 50% of all the recorded Cairn's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Cairn families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cairn 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 Cairn ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Cairn. 100% of Cairn women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Cairn | 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

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Cairn family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Cairn. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cairn census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Cairn

Passenger Lists

There are 350 immigration records available for the last name Cairn. 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 Cairn immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 202 military records available for the last name Cairn. For the veterans among your Cairn ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cairn military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cairn family history

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What is the average Cairn lifespan?

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cairn 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 Cairn

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cairn family tree

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