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Most Family History

Most Surname Meaning

German: metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of must, i.e., unfermented grape juice. Middle High (and Low) German most (from Latin mustum vinum ‘young (i.e., fresh) wine’). The same term was also used to denote perry and cider since these do not keep well and need to be drunk while still fresh.

Dutch (Van der Most): topographic name for someone who lived by marshy land from Middle Dutch mos, most ‘pool, swamp, bog’. Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): topographic name from Slavic most ‘bridge’ or a habitational name from any of several places called with this word.

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from German Most ‘young (i.e., fresh) wine’ (see 1 above), one of surnames distributed at random by Austrian clerks. English (Lancashire): variant of Must.

This form of the surname is rare in Britain.

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


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Where is the Most family from?

You can see how Most families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Most family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Most families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 23 Most families living in Lancashire. This was about 29% of all the recorded Most's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Most families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Most 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 Most 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 Most. 100% of Most men worked as a General Labourer and 100% of Most women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Most | 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
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Most family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 9,000 census records available for the last name Most. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Most census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Most. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 41,000 military records available for the last name Most. For the veterans among your Most ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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