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Opie Family History

Opie Surname Meaning

English (Devon and Cornwall): from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Opy or Oppy which is attested in 16th-century Cornwall as a pet form of Middle English Osbert (mainly a Norman name an Old French borrowing of ancient Germanic Oseberht from ōs ‘god’ + berht ‘bright’).

There may have also been a voiced pet form Oby (see Hobby). Loss of -s- in Osbert may explain some examples of Hobart though this name usually had a different origin.

Middle English Osbert is mainly found in southern England, the Midlands, and Essex, and it was especially favoured in West Cornwall where its usual pet form was Hoskin.

In England generally, it was frequently confused with the less common personal name Osbern (see Osborne). Opy was probably a pet form of Osbern as well.

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


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Where is the Opie family from?

You can see how Opie families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Opie family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Opie families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 552 Opie families living in Cornwall. This was about 66% of all the recorded Opie's in United Kingdom. Cornwall had the highest population of Opie families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Opie 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 Opie 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 Opie. 20% of Opie men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Opie women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Opie were Retired and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Opie | 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
    20%
  • Farmer
    9%
  • Dairy Farmer
    9%
  • Retired
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    65%
  • Domestic Duties
    5%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Opie family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 20,000 census records available for the last name Opie. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Opie census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Opie

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Opie. For the veterans among your Opie ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Opie military records

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What is the average Opie lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Opie life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Opie in 1956 was 54, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Opie

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Opie 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.

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