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Foundling Family History

Foundling Surname Meaning

From Middle English f(o)undling Modern English foundling ‘foundling abandoned or illegitimate child’ (also in Middle English ‘vagabond rogue’).

The late formation of the name in some cases at least is indicated by the example of Elizabeth Foundling 1744 in IGI (Foundling Hospital Chapel Guildford Street Saint Pancras Middx).

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Foundling family from?

You can see how Foundling families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Foundling family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Foundling families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 14 Foundling families living in Staffordshire. This was about 70% of all the recorded Foundling's in United Kingdom. Staffordshire had the highest population of Foundling families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Foundling 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 Foundling ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Foundling. 100% of Foundling women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Foundling | 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 Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Foundling family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 484 census records available for the last name Foundling. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Foundling census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Foundling

Passenger Lists

There are 52 immigration records available for the last name Foundling. 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 Foundling immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 35 military records available for the last name Foundling. For the veterans among your Foundling ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Foundling military records

You've only scratched the surface of Foundling family history

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What is the average Foundling lifespan?

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Foundling 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.

Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Foundling

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