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Wakefield Family History

Wakefield Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from the city of Wakefield in Yorkshire and from Wakefield Lawn in Potterspury (Northamptonshire).

Both are named from the Old English personal name Waca or Old English wacu ‘wake festival’ + feld ‘open country’.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Wakefield family from?

You can see how Wakefield families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wakefield family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wakefield families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 664 Wakefield families living in London. This was about 11% of all the recorded Wakefield's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Wakefield families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wakefield 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 Wakefield 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 Wakefield. 10% of Wakefield men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Wakefield women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wakefield were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Wakefield | 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
    10%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Wakefield family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 181,000 census records available for the last name Wakefield. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wakefield census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wakefield

Passenger Lists

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Wakefield. 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 Wakefield immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 21,000 military records available for the last name Wakefield. For the veterans among your Wakefield ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wakefield military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wakefield family history

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What is the average Wakefield lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Wakefield life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Wakefield in 1942 was 39, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wakefield

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wakefield 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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