Kern Family History

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Kern Name Meaning

Irish: reduced form of McCarron. German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German kerne ‘kernel’, ‘seed’, ‘pip’; Middle Dutch kern(e), keerne; German Kern or Yiddish kern ‘grain’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a farmer, or a nickname for a small person. As a Jewish surname, it is mainly ornamental. English: probably a metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of hand mills, from Old English cweorn ‘hand mill’, or a habitational name for someone from Kern in the Isle of Wight, named from this word.

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


Similar surnames: Korn, Ken, Kirn, Kerr, Corn, Hearn, Bern, Kearn, Kerl, Kort

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Kern Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Kern name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    42%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    17%

  • Germanic Europe

    16%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    5%

  • European Jewish

    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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Kern Family Origin

Where is the Kern family from?

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You can see how Kern families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kern family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kern families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 49 Kern families living in London. This was about 28% of all the recorded Kern's in the UK. London had the highest population of Kern families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kern surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Kern

Kern Family Occupations

What did your Kern ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farm Labourer, Ag Laborer and Agricultural Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Kern. The most common Kern occupation in the UK was Farm Labourer. 6% of Kern's were Farm Labourers. A less common occupation for the Kern family was Annuitant.

View Census data for Kern | Data not to scale

  • Farm Labourer

    6%

  • Ag Laborer

    3%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    3%

  • Annuitant

    3%

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

Kern Historical Records

What Kern family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 132,000 census records available for the last name Kern. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kern 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 Kern

Passenger List

There are 22,000 immigration records available for the last name Kern. 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 Kern immigration records

Draft Card

There are 45,000 military records available for the last name Kern. For the veterans among your Kern ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kern military records

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

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Kern Life Expectancy

What is the average Kern lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Kern life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Kern in 1941 was 41, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kern

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

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