South Family History

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South Name Meaning

English: from Middle English south, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the south of a settlement or a regional name for someone who had migrated from the south.

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


Similar surnames: North, Slough, Worth, Booth, Forth, Souto, Routh, Louth, Tout, Shutt

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South Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the South name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    58%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    20%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • Norway

    2%

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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South Family Origin

Where is the South family from?

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You can see how South families moved over time by selecting different census years. The South family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most South families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 720 South families living in London. This was about 22% of all the recorded South's in the UK. London had the highest population of South families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the South surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for South

South Family Occupations

What did your South ancestors do for a living?

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

View Census data for South | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    5%

  • Farm Labourer

    2%

  • Labourer

    2%

  • Farmer

    2%

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

South Historical Records

What South family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 160,000 census records available for the last name South. Like a window into their day-to-day life, South 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 South

Passenger List

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name South. 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 South immigration records

Draft Card

There are 83,000 military records available for the last name South. For the veterans among your South ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all South military records

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

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South Life Expectancy

What is the average South lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, South life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for South in 1941 was 42, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for South

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

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