Short Family History

Short Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a short person from Middle English short ‘short’ (Old English sceort).

English: topographic name for someone who lived at a detached or cut-off piece of land (Middle English shorte shirte from Old English scierte scerte scyrte) or else a habitational name from a place so named such as Shoart in Harbeldown (Kent) and Shuart in Saint Nicholas at Wade (Kent).

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Irish and Scottish: adopted for Gaelic Mac an Gheairr Mac an Ghirr ‘son of the short man’ (see McGirr).

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Kurz.

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

Similar surnames: Shera, Sword, Shortt, Shore, Horn, Shorty, Shorb, Scott, Shott, Shorts

668K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
78K	Military Records
52K	Immigration Records
474K	Census and Voter Lists
1M	Member Trees

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

Where is the Short family from?

You can see how Short families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Short family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Short families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,514 Short families living in London. This was about 13% of all the recorded Short's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Short families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Short surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Short

What did your Short 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 Short. 7% of Short men worked as a General labourer and 67% of Short women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Short were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Short

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.

General labourer

Builders labourer

Gardener

Bricklayer

Unpaid domestic duties

67%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Incapacitated

What Short family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 474K census records available for the last name Short. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Short census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Short

Passenger List

There are 52K immigration records available for the last name Short. 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 Short immigration records

Military Records

There are 78K military records available for the last name Short. For the veterans among your Short ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Short military records

You've only scratched the surface of Short family history

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What is the average Short lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Short life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Short in 1941 was 32, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Short family tree

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Short Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a short person from Middle English short ‘short’ (Old English sceort).

Compare Shorter.

Irish and Scottish: adopted for Gaelic Mac an Gheairr Mac an Ghirr ‘son of the short man’ (see McGirr).

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Kurz.

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

Where is the Short family from?

What did your Short ancestors do for a living?

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.

General labourer

Builders labourer

Gardener

Bricklayer

Unpaid domestic duties

67%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Incapacitated

What Short family records will you find?

What is the average Short lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Short life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Short in 1941 was 32, and 73 in 2004.

Short Family History

Short Surname Meaning

2 million record(s) for Short

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

Where is the Short family from?

What did your Short ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Short family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Short family history

What is the average Short lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Short family tree

Search for another surname

Short Surname Meaning

2 million record(s) for Short

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

Where is the Short family from?

What did your Short ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Short family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Short family history

What is the average Short lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Short family tree

Search for another surname