Geary Family History

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Geary Name Meaning

Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gadhra ‘descendant of Gadhra’ (see O’Gara). See also McGeary. English: from a personal name derived from Germanic ger, gar ‘spear’, a short form of any of various compound names with this as a first element (see, for example Garrett). English: nickname for a wayward or capricious person, from Middle English ge(a)ry ‘fickle’, ‘changeable’, ‘passionate’ (a derivative of gere ‘fit of passion’, apparently a Scandinavian borrowing). Possibly an altered spelling of German Gehring or Gehrig.

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


Similar surnames: Gear, Merry, Berry, Keary, Gary, Gerry, Weary, Geer, Terry, Neary

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Geary Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Geary name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    39%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    35%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    4%

  • France

    3%

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Geary Family Origin

Where is the Geary family from?

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You can see how Geary families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Geary family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Geary families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 494 Geary families living in Leicestershire. This was about 21% of all the recorded Geary's in the UK. Leicestershire had the highest population of Geary families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Geary surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Geary

Geary Family Occupations

What did your Geary ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Geary family was Farmer. The most common Geary occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. 4% of Geary's were Agricultural Labourers. Agricultural Labourer, Labourer and Tailor were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Geary.

View Census data for Geary | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    4%

  • Labourer

    4%

  • Tailor

    2%

  • Farmer

    2%

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

Geary Historical Records

What Geary family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 125,000 census records available for the last name Geary. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Geary 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 Geary

Passenger List

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

Draft Card

There are 19,000 military records available for the last name Geary. For the veterans among your Geary ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Geary military records

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

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Geary Life Expectancy

What is the average Geary lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Geary life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Geary in 1942 was 46, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Geary

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

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