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Wayne Family History

Wayne Surname Meaning

English: metonymic occupational name for someone who drove a wagon or who built wagons from Middle English wain ‘wagon’ (Old English wægen). Compare Wainer and Wainwright.

English (North Yorkshire): occasionally a variant of Walwyn or Wawne, a habitational name from Wawne in the East Yorkshire. The placename may derive from Old English wagen ‘quagmire’.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 黃, see Huang.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 榮, see Rong.

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 Wayne family from?

You can see how Wayne families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wayne family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wayne families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 48 Wayne families living in Derbyshire. This was about 16% of all the recorded Wayne's in United Kingdom. Derbyshire had the highest population of Wayne families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wayne 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 Wayne ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Colliery Hewer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Wayne. 11% of Wayne men worked as a Colliery Hewer and 76% of Wayne women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wayne were Dairy Farmer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Wayne | 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

  • Colliery Hewer
    11%
  • Solicitor
    11%
  • Colliery Hewer Below
    11%
  • Dairy Farmer
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    76%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    5%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Housewife
    4%

What Wayne family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 74,000 census records available for the last name Wayne. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wayne census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wayne

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Wayne. 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 Wayne immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 27,000 military records available for the last name Wayne. For the veterans among your Wayne ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wayne military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wayne family history

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What is the average Wayne lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Wayne life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Wayne in 1946 was 34, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wayne

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wayne 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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