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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).

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


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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.
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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.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Gardener
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Short family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 474,000 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 Lists

There are 52,000 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

Draft Cards

There are 78,000 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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Short

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

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