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Gent Family History

Gent Surname Meaning

English (northern) and French: nickname from Old French gent Middle English gent(e) ‘high born noble’ hence ‘noble of character or conduct courteous’ also ‘nice friendly’.

English: habitational name from Ghent (Gent in Dutch) a city in Flanders Belgium. Compare Ghent.

German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with gand ‘spell’ such as Gandolf.

Dutch (Van Gent): habitational name for someone from the place Gent nowadays formally spelled Gendt near Nijmegen in the province of Gelderland or from Gent in Flanders Belgium.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Gent family from?

You can see how Gent families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gent family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gent families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 385 Gent families living in Lancashire. This was about 14% of all the recorded Gent's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Gent families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gent 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 Gent 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 Gent. 6% of Gent men worked as a General Labourer and 73% of Gent women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gent were Colliery Hewer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Gent | 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
    6%
  • Farmer
    6%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Colliery Hewer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Gent family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 53,000 census records available for the last name Gent. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gent census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Gent

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Gent. 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 Gent immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Gent. For the veterans among your Gent ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gent military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gent family history

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What is the average Gent lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Gent life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1994. The average life expectancy for Gent in 1944 was 25, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gent

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gent 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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