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Espey Family History

Espey Surname Meaning

Scottish (Northumberland): variant of Espy.

German: topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of water or marsh edged by aspen trees.

It originates from Middle High German and Middle Low German espe ‘aspen’.

The name also includes -ey, a suffix denoting the presence of water.

This etymology highlights the connection between place names and natural features in the landscape.

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


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Where is the Espey family from?

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

In 1939, Old Age Pensioner was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Espey. 100% of Espey men worked as an Old Age Pensioner.

View Census Data for Espey | 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

  • Old Age Pensioner
    100%

What Espey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Espey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Espey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Espey

Passenger Lists

There are 402 immigration records available for the last name Espey. 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 Espey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Espey. For the veterans among your Espey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Espey military records

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