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Play Family History

Play Surname Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Pay, Lay, Pray, Slay, Plas, Clay, Pla, Ply, Klay, Blay

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Play family from?

You can see how Play families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Play family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Play families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there was 1 Play family living in London. This was 100% of all the recorded Play's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Play families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Play 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 Play ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Play. 100% of Play women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Play | 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
    100%

What Play family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Play. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Play census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Play

Passenger Lists

There are 173 immigration records available for the last name Play. 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 Play immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 34,000 military records available for the last name Play. For the veterans among your Play ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Play military records

You've only scratched the surface of Play family history

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What is the average Play lifespan?

Average Play life expectancy in 2004 was 87 years. This was higher than the general public life expectancy which was 74.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Play

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

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