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Kish Family History

Kish Surname Meaning

Americanized form of Hungarian Kiss meaning ‘small’ and of its Slavicized (mainly Serbian and Croatian) form Kiš (see Kis). Compare Kisch.

Rusyn: nickname of Hungarian origin meaning ‘small’ (see 1 above).

Ukrainian: metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker from kish ‘basket’.

Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kisch.

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


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Where is the Kish family from?

You can see how Kish families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kish family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kish families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 20 Kish families living in Durham. This was about 42% of all the recorded Kish's in United Kingdom. Durham had the highest population of Kish families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kish 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 Kish ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Kish. 91% of Kish women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Kish | 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
    91%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    10%

What Kish family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 21,000 census records available for the last name Kish. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kish census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Kish

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Kish. 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 Kish immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Kish military records

You've only scratched the surface of Kish family history

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What is the average Kish lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Kish life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Kish in 1942 was 36, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kish

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kish 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Kish family tree

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