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Heard Family History

Heard Surname Meaning

English: occupational name from Middle English herd(e), hird(e), hord(e). Older Scots herd, hird ‘herdsman’, i.e. one who looked after cattle, sheep, or goats (Old English heorde, hierde).

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


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Where is the Heard family from?

You can see how Heard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Heard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Heard families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 707 Heard families living in Devon. This was about 20% of all the recorded Heard's in United Kingdom. Devon had the highest population of Heard families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Heard 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 Heard ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Heard. 14% of Heard men worked as a Farmer and 71% of Heard women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Heard were Farm Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Heard | 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

  • Farmer
    14%
  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Farm Labourer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%

What Heard family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 155,000 census records available for the last name Heard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Heard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Heard

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Heard. 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 Heard immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Heard. For the veterans among your Heard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Heard military records

You've only scratched the surface of Heard family history

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What is the average Heard lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Heard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Heard in 1940 was 61, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Heard

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Heard 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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