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Driver Family History

Driver Surname Meaning

English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): occupational name from Middle English drivere ‘one who drives (cattle)’ in Lancashire specifically a moorland vaccary officer who kept the cattle within their designated pastures.

Elsewhere perhaps alternatively ‘a driver of a team of animals or of a cart or wagon’.

Americanized form of Dutch Drijver an equivalent of.

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 Driver family from?

You can see how Driver families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Driver family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Driver families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,210 Driver families living in Yorkshire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Driver's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Driver families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Driver 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 Driver 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 Driver. 9% of Driver men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Driver women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Driver were Cotton Weaver and Cotton Weaver.

View Census Data for Driver | 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
    9%
  • Farmer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Cotton Weaver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%

What Driver family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 280,000 census records available for the last name Driver. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Driver census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Driver

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Driver. 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 Driver immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 25,000 military records available for the last name Driver. For the veterans among your Driver ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Driver military records

You've only scratched the surface of Driver family history

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What is the average Driver lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Driver life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Driver in 1944 was 24, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Driver

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Driver 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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