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Vajda Family History

Vajda Surname Meaning

Hungarian, Slovak, Rusyn (from Slovakia), Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian: status name from Hungarian vajda ‘leader, governor’, a title of Slavic origin (from vojvoda ‘commander, military leader’, later ‘duke’). The Hungarian name is especially common in Transylvania (which is since WWI entirely in Romania and the surname is hence mostly spelled Vaida), where before the creation of the independent Hungarian principality the term had denoted the highest ranking administrative and military leader.

In medieval times, various Romanian village leaders, as well as the leaders of gypsy caravans, were also called vajda; this title is still in use for gypsy leaders in Slovakia, where the surname is common too. Compare Vayda and Wayda; see also Polish Wajda.

Croatian: in some cases also a nickname from the dialect word vajda ‘benefit, behalf’ of Turkish origin. Jewish (from Hungary): adoption of the name in 1 above either as a Hungarian calque of the formerly used German-based surname or because the Hungarian surname has some sounds in common with the original surname.

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

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Where is the Vajda family from?

You can see how Vajda families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Vajda family name was found in the USA in 1920. In 1920 there were 9 Vajda families living in New York. This was about 24% of all the recorded Vajda's in USA. New York and 1 other state had the highest population of Vajda families in 1920.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Vajda surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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Census Records

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

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Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Vajda. 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 635 military records available for the last name Vajda. For the veterans among your Vajda ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Vajda lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Vajda life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1966, and highest in 1977. The average life expectancy for Vajda in 1949 was 63, and 78 in 2004.

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