Fenton Family History

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Fenton Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places, in Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Staffordshire, and South Yorkshire, so called from Old English fenn ‘marsh’, ‘fen’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’ Irish: English surname adopted by bearers of Gaelic Ó Fionnachta (see Finnerty) or Ó Fiachna ‘descendant of Fiachna’, an old personal name Anglicized as Feighney and sometimes mistranslated as Hunt (see Fee). Jewish (Ashkenazic): Americanized form of various like-sounding names, for example Finkelstein (see Funke).

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


Similar surnames: Felton, Denton, Kenton, Henton, Benton, Lenton, Renton, Winton

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Fenton Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Fenton name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    46%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    24%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • European Jewish

    3%

  • France

    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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Fenton Family Origin

Where is the Fenton family from?

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You can see how Fenton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fenton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fenton families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,389 Fenton families living in Lancashire. This was about 27% of all the recorded Fenton's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Fenton families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fenton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Fenton

Fenton Family Occupations

What did your Fenton ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Grocer and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Fenton. A less common occupation for the Fenton family was Annuitant. The most common Fenton occupation in the UK was Farmer. 3% of Fenton's were Farmers.

View Census data for Fenton | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    3%

  • Grocer

    2%

  • Labourer

    2%

  • Annuitant

    2%

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

Fenton Historical Records

What Fenton family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 210,000 census records available for the last name Fenton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fentoncensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Fenton

Passenger List

There are 27,000 immigration records available for the last name Fenton. 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 Fenton immigration records

Draft Card

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

View all Fenton military records

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

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Fenton Life Expectancy

What is the average Fenton lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Fenton life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Fenton in 1944 was 40, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fenton

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Fenton 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 Fenton Family Ancestors

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