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Dent Family History

Dent Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from Dent in Yorkshire possibly from a British hill name cognate with Old Irish dinn dind ‘hill’.

Variant of Dunt from Middle English dunt dent ‘blow (of a weapon or implement); combat’

(Old English dynt).

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Dent family from?

You can see how Dent families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dent family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dent families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,218 Dent families living in Yorkshire. This was about 20% of all the recorded Dent's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Dent families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dent 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 Dent 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 Dent. 8% of Dent men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Dent women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dent were Incapacitated and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Dent | 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%
  • Farmer
    5%
  • Dairy Farmer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

What Dent family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 189,000 census records available for the last name Dent. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dent census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dent

Passenger Lists

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Dent. 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 Dent immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 44,000 military records available for the last name Dent. For the veterans among your Dent ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dent military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dent family history

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What is the average Dent lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Dent life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Dent in 1941 was 42, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dent

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dent 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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