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Waterfall Family History

Waterfall Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from Waterfall, a place in Staffordshire, named from Old English wætergefall ‘place where a water course disappears below ground’.

There is another place so called in Guisborough in North Yorkshire and a lost Waterfall in Pontefract, Yorkshire, both of which may also have contributed to the surname.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Waterfall family from?

You can see how Waterfall families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Waterfall family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Waterfall families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 156 Waterfall families living in Derbyshire. This was about 29% of all the recorded Waterfall's in United Kingdom. Derbyshire had the highest population of Waterfall families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Waterfall 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 Waterfall ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Agricultural Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Waterfall. 19% of Waterfall men worked as an Agricultural Labourer and 74% of Waterfall women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Waterfall were Houseman On Farm and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Waterfall | 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

  • Agricultural Labourer
    19%
  • Farmer
    9%
  • Horseman On Farm
    9%
  • Houseman On Farm
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Waterfall family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Waterfall. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Waterfall census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Waterfall

Passenger Lists

There are 979 immigration records available for the last name Waterfall. 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 Waterfall immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 855 military records available for the last name Waterfall. For the veterans among your Waterfall ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Waterfall military records

You've only scratched the surface of Waterfall family history

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What is the average Waterfall lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Waterfall life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2003, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Waterfall in 1957 was 70, and 105 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Waterfall

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Waterfall 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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