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Corning Family History

Corning Name Meaning

English:: in northern England and the northern Midlands perhaps a patronymic or nickname from an unrecorded Old English personal name or nickname Corna + the filial hypocoristic or noun-forming suffix -ing. The root of the name could be Old English corna ‘crane heron’ (applied to someone with long legs). alternatively perhaps a habitational name from Cooling in Folkestone (Kent) recorded as a surname de Corninge in 1257 de Cornyngg' in 1334 and perhaps as Corlyng' in 1379 but the surname seems not to have survived into the modern period. The meaning of the placename is uncertain.

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


Similar surnames: Horning, Dorning, Cornish, Moring, Curling, Werning, Morning, Corbin

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Corning family from?

You can see how Corning families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Corning family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Corning families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 26 Corning families living in New York. This was about 31% of all the recorded Corning's in USA. New York had the highest population of Corning families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Corning 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 Corning ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Corning. 15% of Corning men worked as a Laborer and 26% of Corning women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Corning were Truck Driver and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Corning | 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
    15%
  • Farmer
    13%
  • Salesman
    11%
  • Truck Driver
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    26%
  • Clerk
    15%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housewife
    12%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Corning family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Corning. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Corning census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Corning

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Corning. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Corning. For the veterans among your Corning ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Corning lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Corning life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Corning in 1948 was 40, and 87 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Corning

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