Arnold Family History

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Arnold Name Meaning

English and German: from a very widely used personal name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements arn ‘eagle’ + wald ‘rule’. In addition, it has probably absorbed various European cognates and their derivatives (for the forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988). English: habitational name from either of the two places called Arnold (see Arnall). Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German personal name, at least in part on account of its resemblance to the Jewish name Aaron.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Harold, Armold, Arnoldi, Arnall, Arno, Honold, Appold, Menold, Arnott

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Arnold Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Arnold name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Arnold. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    51%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    18%

  • Germanic Europe

    9%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Arnold Family Origin

Where is the Arnold family from?

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You can see how Arnold families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Arnold family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Arnold families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 3,142 Arnold families living in London. This was about 18% of all the recorded Arnold's in the UK. London had the highest population of Arnold families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Arnold surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Arnold

Arnold Family Occupations

What did your Arnold ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Agricultural Labourer, Labourer and Farmer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Arnold. A less common occupation for the Arnold family was Coal Miner. The most common Arnold occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. 5% of Arnold's were Agricultural Labourers.

View Census data for Arnold | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    5%

  • Labourer

    4%

  • Farmer

    3%

  • Coal Miner

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Arnold ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Arnold Historical Records

What Arnold family records will you find?

Census Record

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

Search 1891 UK census records for Arnold

Passenger List

There are 87,000 immigration records available for the last name Arnold. 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 Card

There are 210,000 military records available for the last name Arnold. For the veterans among your Arnold ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Arnold family history.

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Arnold Life Expectancy

What is the average Arnold lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Arnold life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Arnold in 1940 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Arnold

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Arnold 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.

Famous Arnold Family Ancestors

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