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Morton Family History

Morton Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: habitational name from any of the many places called Mor(e)ton named with Old English mōr ‘moor’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. There has probably been some confusion with Morten and perhaps also with Murton. This English name has also been established in Ireland since the 13th century.

American shortened and altered form of Swedish Mårtensson or Mortensson (see Martenson and Mortenson) which could also be substituted for the Finnish cognate Marttinen.

French: shortened form of Moreton French: habitational name from a place so named in Vienne.

Jewish: adopted for one or more like-sounding Jewish names (for example Mordecai).

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


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Where is the Morton family from?

You can see how Morton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Morton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Morton families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 3,092 Morton families living in Yorkshire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Morton's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Morton families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Morton 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 Morton 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 Morton. 7% of Morton men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Morton women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Morton were Bricklayer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Morton | 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
    7%
  • Farmer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Private Means
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Morton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 618,000 census records available for the last name Morton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Morton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Morton

Passenger Lists

There are 97,000 immigration records available for the last name Morton. 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 Morton immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 102,000 military records available for the last name Morton. For the veterans among your Morton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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