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Wilsons Family History

Wilsons 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: Wilson, Wilton, Wilfong, Gilson, Bilson, Willens, Tilson, Nilson

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Wilsons family from?

You can see how Wilsons families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wilsons family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wilsons families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there was 1 Wilsons family living in Florida Territory. This was about 33% of all the recorded Wilsons's in USA. Florida Territory and 2 other states had the highest population of Wilsons families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wilsons surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Wilsons ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Wilsons. 33% of Wilsons men worked as a Laborer and 18% of Wilsons women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wilsons were Porter and Waitress. .

View Census Data for Wilsons | 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
    33%
  • Farmer
    21%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Porter
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    18%
  • Housewife
    15%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Waitress
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wilsons family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Wilsons. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wilsons census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Wilsons

Passenger Lists

There are 206 immigration records available for the last name Wilsons. 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 Wilsons immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 687 military records available for the last name Wilsons. For the veterans among your Wilsons ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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