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Dorning Family History

Dorning Surname Meaning

Irish: variant of Dornan. Probably an altered form of German Dornig which is probably a nickname for someone with a sharp tongue from an adjectival derivative of Middle High German Middle Low German dorn ‘thorn’.

The suffixes -ig and -ing were often interchanged in Pennsylvania German and elsewhere.

The name may also refer to a sloe bush.

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


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Where is the Dorning family from?

You can see how Dorning families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dorning family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dorning families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 152 Dorning families living in Lancashire. This was about 71% of all the recorded Dorning's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Dorning families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dorning 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 Dorning ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Colliery Haulage Hand Below and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Dorning. 100% of Dorning men worked as a Colliery Haulage Hand Below and 88% of Dorning women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Dorning | 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

  • Colliery Haulage Hand Below
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    88%
  • Beam Warper Spinning Cotton
    7%
  • Housewife
    7%

What Dorning family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Dorning. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dorning census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dorning

Passenger Lists

There are 717 immigration records available for the last name Dorning. 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 Dorning immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 594 military records available for the last name Dorning. For the veterans among your Dorning ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dorning military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dorning family history

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What is the average Dorning lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Dorning life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1973, and highest in 1970. The average life expectancy for Dorning in 1949 was 60, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dorning

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dorning 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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