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Shepard Family History

Shepard Surname Meaning

English: variant of Shepherd. Americanized form (translation into English) of French Berger.

Americanized form of French Chabot and Chaput.

Americanized form of some Jewish surname sounding like or meaning ‘shepherd’.

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 Shepard family from?

You can see how Shepard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shepard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shepard families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 180 Shepard families living in London. This was about 20% of all the recorded Shepard's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Shepard families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shepard 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 Shepard ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Retired and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Shepard. 9% of Shepard men worked as a Retired and 73% of Shepard women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shepard were Bricklayer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Shepard | 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

  • Retired
    9%
  • Carpenter joiner
    9%
  • Farmer
    9%
  • Bricklayer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

What Shepard family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 178,000 census records available for the last name Shepard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shepard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Shepard

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Shepard. 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 Shepard immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 38,000 military records available for the last name Shepard. For the veterans among your Shepard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shepard military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shepard family history

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What is the average Shepard lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Shepard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Shepard in 1940 was 41, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shepard

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shepard 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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