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Temple Family History

Temple Surname Meaning

English (northern England and London) Scottish and French: from Middle English Old French temple ‘temple’ (from Latin templum) denoting a religious house or manorial estate of the Knights Templar. The surname may be a metonymic occupational name for someone who lived or worked at such an establishment or a habitational name from a place so named such as Temple in Cornwall (Midlothian).

The Knights Templar were a crusading order so named because they claimed to occupy in Jerusalem the site of the old temple. The order was founded in 1118 and flourished for 200 years but was suppressed as heretical in 131.

English: nickname given to foundlings baptized at the Temple Church London so called because it was originally built on land belonging to the Templars. Americanized form of North German or Dutch Tempel.

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


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Where is the Temple family from?

You can see how Temple families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Temple family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Temple families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 626 Temple families living in Yorkshire. This was about 18% of all the recorded Temple's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Temple families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Temple 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 Temple 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 Temple. 12% of Temple men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Temple women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Temple were Incapacitated and Housewife.

View Census Data for Temple | 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
    12%
  • Farmer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%

What Temple family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 183,000 census records available for the last name Temple. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Temple census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Temple

Passenger Lists

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Temple. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Temple. For the veterans among your Temple ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Temple lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Temple life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Temple in 1942 was 36, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Temple

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Temple 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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