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Denton Family History

Denton Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of numerous places so called. The vast majority including those in Cambridgeshire Cumbria Dumfries Durham Kent Lancashire Lincolnshire Norfolk Northumberland Oxfordshire Sussex and Yorkshire are named from Old English denu ‘valley’ (see Dean ) + tūn ‘enclosure settlement’. An isolated example in Northamptonshire appears in the Domesday Book as Dodintone meaning ‘enclosure settlement associated with Dodda or Dudda’.

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


Similar surnames: Fenton, Dunton, Henton, Benton, Kenton, Lenton, Dalton, Renton

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Denton family from?

You can see how Denton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Denton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Denton families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,973 Denton families living in Yorkshire. This was about 33% of all the recorded Denton's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Denton families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Denton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Denton 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 Denton. 9% of Denton men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Denton women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Denton were Retired and Incapacitated. .

View Census Data for Denton | 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
    9%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Retired
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Denton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 239,000 census records available for the last name Denton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Denton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Denton

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 32,000 military records available for the last name Denton. For the veterans among your Denton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Denton lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Denton life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Denton in 1944 was 44, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Denton

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