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Ware Family History

Ware Surname Meaning

English:: topographic name for someone who lived by or looked after a dam or weir on a river (from Old English wær wer Middle English war(e) warre wer(e) werre ‘weir’) or a habitational name from a place called with this word such as Weare (Somerset), Weare Giffard (Devon), or Ware (Hertfordshire).

Topographic name for someone who lived by a horse pond or fish pond from Anglo-Norman French Middle English wayour which became early modern English ware wear.

Nickname for a cautious person from Middle English war(e) ‘wary, prudent’ also ‘wise, skilful, cunning’ (Old English (ge)wær).

(Of Norman origin): variant of Warr.

(Of Flemish origin): nickname from Flemish De Weer from Middle Dutch we(d)er ‘wether, ram’.

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


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Where is the Ware family from?

You can see how Ware families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ware family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ware families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,235 Ware families living in London. This was about 23% of all the recorded Ware's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Ware families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ware 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 Ware 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 Ware. 10% of Ware men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Ware women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ware were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Ware | 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%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

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

What Ware family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 308,000 census records available for the last name Ware. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ware census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Ware

Passenger Lists

There are 21,000 immigration records available for the last name Ware. 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 Ware immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 58,000 military records available for the last name Ware. For the veterans among your Ware ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ware military records

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