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Mary Family History

Mary Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English and Old French female personal name Marie Latin Maria. Compare Marrison Marion Marriott Markin. — Note: It is likely that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau (which dropped from 2215 in the year 2000 to 1547 in the year 2010) the female personal name Mary of some American bearers is also counted as a surname.

Some of these bearers may be from countries such as Indonesia where (hereditary) surnames are not in general use; their personal name was thus registered as a surname only after their immigration to the US.

French: from a variant of the female personal name Marie.

French: habitational name from any of the places in Saône-et-Loire, Seine-et-Marne, and Nièvre named Mary from Gallo-Roman Mariacum ‘estate of Marius’.

French: from a vernacular form of the personal name Marius.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Mary family from?

You can see how Mary families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mary family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mary families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 686 Mary families living in London. This was about 26% of all the recorded Mary's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Mary families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mary 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 Mary ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Mary. 50% of Mary men worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties and 67% of Mary women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mary were Police Constable and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Mary | 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

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    50%
  • General Labourer
    34%
  • Police Constable
    17%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%

What Mary family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 244,000 census records available for the last name Mary. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mary census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Mary

Passenger Lists

There are 41,000 immigration records available for the last name Mary. 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 Mary immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Mary. For the veterans among your Mary ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mary military records

You've only scratched the surface of Mary family history

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What is the average Mary lifespan?

Between 1953 and 2004, in the United States, Mary life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1980, and highest in 1974. The average life expectancy for Mary in 1953 was 58, and 64 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mary

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Mary 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 Mary family tree

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