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Wife Family History

Wife Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Wise, Wire, Fife, Wile, Wike, Wine, Wice, Rife, Life, Pike

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Wife family from?

You can see how Wife families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wife family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Wife families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1880 there were 8 Wife families living in West Virginia. This was about 57% of all the recorded Wife's in USA. West Virginia had the highest population of Wife families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wife surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Wife ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Rug Weaver were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Wife. 34% of Wife men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Wife women worked as a Rug Weaver. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wife were Laborer and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Wife | 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

  • Farmer
    34%
  • Fireman
    34%
  • Laborer
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Rug Weaver
    50%
  • Housekeeper
    50%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wife family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 14,000 census records available for the last name Wife. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wife census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Wife

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Wife. 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 Wife immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 29,000 military records available for the last name Wife. For the veterans among your Wife ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wife military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wife family history

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What is the average Wife lifespan?

Between 1969 and 1982, in the United States, Wife life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1975, and highest in 1978. The average life expectancy for Wife in 1969 was 93, and 94 in 1982.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wife

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Wife family tree

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