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Sparry Family History

Sparry Surname Meaning

Possibly a variant of Sperry from an Old Scandinavian personal name Sperri attested in the W Midlands by Sperri (the name of a pre-Conquest tenant in Weston upon Trent, Staffs 1086 in Domesday Book) and by William Speri about 1174 in Saint Thomas Priory Chartulary (Stafford, Staffs).

The medieval spellings with -arr- in the surnames listed below may reflect an alternative form of the personal name *Sparri comparable to that in the related Middle English word sparre, sperre ‘beam, pole, bar’, to which Old Scandinavian sparri and sperra probably contributed (see OED at spar, n.).

Some post-medieval bearers below may belong at (2), apparently from a post-medieval colloquial pronunciation of Sparrow, unless the name in (1) was confused with it.

Source: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, 2021


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Where is the Sparry family from?

You can see how Sparry families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sparry family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Sparry families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 19 Sparry families living in Worcestershire. This was about 45% of all the recorded Sparry's in United Kingdom. Worcestershire had the highest population of Sparry families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sparry 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 Sparry ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Bricklayer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Sparry. 100% of Sparry men worked as a Bricklayer and 76% of Sparry women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Sparry | 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

  • Bricklayer
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    76%
  • Cleaner Holloware
    8%
  • Tobacco Worker Retired
    8%
  • Unpaid Domestic Dut
    8%

What Sparry family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search UK census records for Sparry

Passenger Lists

There are 154 immigration records available for the last name Sparry. 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 Sparry immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 135 military records available for the last name Sparry. For the veterans among your Sparry ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sparry military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sparry family history

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What is the average Sparry lifespan?

Between 1969 and 2003, in the United States, Sparry life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1969, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Sparry in 1969 was 61, and 66 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sparry

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sparry 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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