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Sowerby Family History

Sowerby Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places in northern England called Sowerby including Sowerby Bridge (Yorkshire), Castle Sowerby (Cumberland), Brough and Temple Sowerby (Westmorland), Sowerby and Sowerby under Cotcliffe (North Yorkshire), and Sowerby near Inskip and Sowerby Hall in Dalton (Lancashire).

The placenames derive from Old Norse saurr ‘mud, sour ground’ + bȳ ‘farmstead, village’. Placenames of identical origin are also found in Scotland (as Sorbie in Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, and Wigtownshire), as Soroba in Argyll, and as Soroby on Tiree); also on the Isle of Man (as Surby).

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


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Where is the Sowerby family from?

You can see how Sowerby families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sowerby family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sowerby families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 451 Sowerby families living in Yorkshire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Sowerby's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Sowerby families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sowerby 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 Sowerby 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 Sowerby. 17% of Sowerby men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Sowerby women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sowerby were Dairy Farmer and Household Duties.

View Census Data for Sowerby | 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
    17%
  • Farmer
    12%
  • Incapacitated
    7%
  • Dairy Farmer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    2%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
  • Household Duties
    2%

What Sowerby family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 30,000 census records available for the last name Sowerby. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sowerby census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sowerby

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Sowerby. 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 Sowerby immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Sowerby. For the veterans among your Sowerby ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sowerby military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sowerby family history

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What is the average Sowerby lifespan?

Between 1965 and 2004, in the United States, Sowerby life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1991, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Sowerby in 1965 was 74, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sowerby

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sowerby 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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