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Don Family History

Don Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: variant of Dunn. English and Scottish: variant of Dun, a habitational name from Dun in Angus, Scotland. Italian (Veneto): from a variant of the personal name Dono ‘gift (of God)’. Galician: probably a nickname from don ‘favor, kindness’.

Hungarian: from a short form of the personal name Donát (see Donath). French: from the old personal name Don, derived from ancient Germanic Dodo, a short form of compound names based on the element dod (see Dodier).

French: habitational name from a place called Don in Nord. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the personal name Don, a variant of Dan.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾, see Zeng. Vietnamese (Đôn): possibly from the Chinese surname 敦, see Dun.

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


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Where is the Don family from?

You can see how Don families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Don family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Don families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 61 Don families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Don's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Don families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Don 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 Don ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Chartered Accountant and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Don. 34% of Don men worked as a Chartered Accountant and 72% of Don women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Don were Joiner and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Don | 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

  • Chartered Accountant
    34%
  • Bricklayer
    34%
  • Joiner
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Private Hotel Proprietress
    4%
  • Secretary
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Don family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 34,000 census records available for the last name Don. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Don census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Don

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Don. 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 Don immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Don. For the veterans among your Don ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Don military records

You've only scratched the surface of Don family history

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What is the average Don lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Don life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1984. The average life expectancy for Don in 1944 was 28, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Don

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Don 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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