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Kennedy Family History

Kennedy Surname Meaning

Irish and Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceannéidigh ‘descendant of Ceannéidigh’ (from ceann ‘head’ + éidigh ‘ugly’); or from the Scottish Gaelic Mac Cinnèidigh consisting of mac ‘son’ with an equivalent name.

Compare Canaday Cannady Cannedy Kannady and Kenedy.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Kennedy family from?

You can see how Kennedy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kennedy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kennedy families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,605 Kennedy families living in Lancashire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Kennedy's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Kennedy families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kennedy 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 Kennedy 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 Kennedy. 11% of Kennedy men worked as a General Labourer and 63% of Kennedy women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Kennedy were Incapacitated and Housewife.

View Census Data for Kennedy | 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
    11%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    63%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Kennedy family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Kennedy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kennedy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Kennedy

Passenger Lists

There are 228,000 immigration records available for the last name Kennedy. 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 Kennedy immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 250,000 military records available for the last name Kennedy. For the veterans among your Kennedy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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