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Dorning Family History

Dorning Name Meaning

Irish: variant of Dornan . Probably an altered form of German Dornig which is probably a nickname for someone with a sharp tongue from an adjectival derivative of Middle High German Middle Low German dorn ‘thorn’. The suffixes -ig and -ing were often interchanged in Pennsylvania German and elsewhere. The name may also refer to a sloe bush.

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


Similar surnames: Horning, Darling, Doffing, Durning, Arning, Hirning, Dring, Moring

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Dorning family from?

You can see how Dorning families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dorning family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dorning families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there was 1 Dorning family living in Kentucky. This was about 50% of all the recorded Dorning's in USA. Kentucky and 1 other state had the highest population of Dorning families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dorning surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Dorning ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Dorning. 27% of Dorning men worked as a Laborer and 37% of Dorning women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dorning were Salesman and Waitress. .

View Census Data for Dorning | 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
    27%
  • Carpenter
    14%
  • Machinist
    9%
  • Salesman
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    37%
  • Stenographer
    28%
  • Seamstress
    19%
  • Waitress
    19%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Dorning family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Dorning. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dorning census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Dorning

Passenger Lists

There are 717 immigration records available for the last name Dorning. 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 594 military records available for the last name Dorning. For the veterans among your Dorning ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Dorning lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Dorning life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1973, and highest in 1970. The average life expectancy for Dorning in 1949 was 60, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dorning

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