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Telling Family History

Telling Surname Meaning

Dutch and North German: patronymic from a Middle Dutch pet form of Theudilo, a short form of ancient Germanic compound names formed with theud ‘people race’.

English (Wiltshire and Gloucestershire): variant of Tilling which is unexplained or Teeling.

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


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Where is the Telling family from?

You can see how Telling families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Telling family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Telling families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 212 Telling families living in Wiltshire. This was about 35% of all the recorded Telling's in United Kingdom. Wiltshire had the highest population of Telling families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Telling 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 Telling ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Gardener and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Telling. 12% of Telling men worked as a Gardener and 77% of Telling women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Telling were General Labourer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Telling | 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

  • Gardener
    12%
  • Cowman
    9%
  • Plasterer
    8%
  • General Labourer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    77%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Telling family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Telling. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Telling census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Telling

Passenger Lists

There are 875 immigration records available for the last name Telling. 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 Telling immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 750 military records available for the last name Telling. For the veterans among your Telling ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Telling military records

You've only scratched the surface of Telling family history

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What is the average Telling lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Telling life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Telling in 1944 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Telling

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Telling 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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