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Dorner Family History

Dorner Name Meaning

German (also Dörner): habitational name for someone from any of the places called Dorn or Dornau in Bavaria or either of two places called Dorna in Saxony and Thuringia. German (also Dörner): northern variant of Turner an occupational name for a watchman someone who manned a tower. This surname is also found in France (Vosges Alsace and Lorraine). Compare Durner . Breton (also Le Dorner): occupational name for a thresher derived from dornañ ‘to beat to thresh’.

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


Similar surnames: Horner, Derner, Dobner, Corner, Dorney, Dohner, Durner, Doster

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Dorner family from?

You can see how Dorner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dorner family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Dorner families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 55 Dorner families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 25% of all the recorded Dorner's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Dorner families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dorner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Dorner ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Dorner. 18% of Dorner men worked as a Laborer and 20% of Dorner women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dorner were Clerk and Laborer. .

View Census Data for Dorner | 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
    18%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Salesman
    9%
  • Clerk
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    20%
  • Operator
    11%
  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Laborer
    9%
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What Dorner family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Dorner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dorner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Dorner

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Dorner. 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 5,000 military records available for the last name Dorner. For the veterans among your Dorner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Dorner lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Dorner life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1965. The average life expectancy for Dorner in 1945 was 50, and 85 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dorner

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