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Sherman Family History

Sherman Name Meaning

English (London): occupational name denoting someone who used shears to trim the surface of finished cloth and remove excessive nap from Middle English sherman shirman sharman ‘shearman’. Americanized form of North German Schürmann (see Schuermann ) and of German or Jewish (Ashkenazic) Schermann . Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a tailor from Yiddish sher ‘scissors’ + man ‘man’.

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


Similar surnames: Scherman, Herman, Sturman, German, Shurman, Derman, Seeman, Sterman

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Where is the Sherman family from?

You can see how Sherman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sherman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sherman families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 518 Sherman families living in New York. This was about 34% of all the recorded Sherman's in USA. New York had the highest population of Sherman families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sherman surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Sherman ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Sherman. 12% of Sherman men worked as a Laborer and 7% of Sherman women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sherman were Clerk and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Sherman | 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
    12%
  • Farmer
    10%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Clerk
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Clerk
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sherman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 451,000 census records available for the last name Sherman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sherman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Sherman

Passenger Lists

There are 43,000 immigration records available for the last name Sherman. 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 Sherman immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 87,000 military records available for the last name Sherman. For the veterans among your Sherman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sherman military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sherman family history

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What is the average Sherman lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Sherman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Sherman in 1940 was 40, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sherman

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