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Guy Family History

Guy Name Meaning

English (of Norman origin) and French: from a common Old French personal name Guy from ancient Germanic Wido a short form of compound names based on the element wid(u) ‘wood forest’ Latinized as Guido . English (of Norman origin): alternatively an occupational name for a guide Old French gui (a derivative of gui(d)er ‘to guide’ of ancient Germanic origin). Altered form of French Guay .

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


Similar surnames: Gay, Goy, Bay, Luy, Gue, Gundy, Fey, Amy, Guo, Gu

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Guy family from?

You can see how Guy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Guy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Guy families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 41 Guy families living in Virginia. This was about 14% of all the recorded Guy's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Guy families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Guy surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Guy ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Guy. 17% of Guy men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Guy women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Guy were Truck Driver and Cook. .

View Census Data for Guy | 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 1940

  • Laborer
    17%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Cook
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Guy family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 253,000 census records available for the last name Guy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Guy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Guy

Passenger Lists

There are 21,000 immigration records available for the last name Guy. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Guy immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Guy military records

You've only scratched the surface of Guy family history

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What is the average Guy lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Guy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Guy in 1940 was 36, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Guy

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