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Cairney Family History

Cairney Name Meaning

Irish: variant of Kearney . Scottish (Lanarkshire): variant of Cairnie in some cases perhaps a Scottish form of Irish Kearney or a habitational name from Cairnie in Aberdeenshire Cairnie in Arbroath (Angus) or Cairnies in Stirlingshire.

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


Similar surnames: Carney, Carey, Cagney, Gainey, Harney, Rainey, Carley, Karney, Hainey

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Cairney family from?

You can see how Cairney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cairney family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Cairney families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1880 there were 6 Cairney families living in West Virginia. This was about 86% of all the recorded Cairney's in USA. West Virginia had the highest population of Cairney families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cairney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Cairney ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Machinist was the top reported job for people in the USA named Cairney. 37% of Cairney men worked as a Machinist. .

View Census Data for Cairney | 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

  • Machinist
    37%
  • Truck Driver
    28%
  • Clerk
    19%
  • Manager
    19%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Cairney family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6,000 census records available for the last name Cairney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cairney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Cairney

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Cairney. 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 Cairney immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 987 military records available for the last name Cairney. For the veterans among your Cairney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cairney military records

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What is the average Cairney lifespan?

Between 1965 and 2004, in the United States, Cairney life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1988, and highest in 1977. The average life expectancy for Cairney in 1965 was 64, and 67 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cairney

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cairney family tree

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