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Portnow Family History

Portnow 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: Portnoy, Porto, Partlow, Portner, Tornow, Zornow, Portney, Pollnow

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 Portnow family from?

You can see how Portnow families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Portnow family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Portnow families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1920 there were 4 Portnow families living in New York. This was about 33% of all the recorded Portnow's in USA. New York had the highest population of Portnow families in 1920.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Portnow 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 Portnow ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Salesman was the top reported job for people in the USA named Portnow. 31% of Portnow men worked as a Salesman. .

View Census Data for Portnow | 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

  • Salesman
    31%
  • Asst Mgr
    24%
  • Actor
    16%
  • Tailor
    16%
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What Portnow family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 521 census records available for the last name Portnow. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Portnow census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Portnow

Passenger Lists

There are 209 immigration records available for the last name Portnow. 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 Portnow immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 61 military records available for the last name Portnow. For the veterans among your Portnow ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Portnow military records

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What is the average Portnow lifespan?

Between 1966 and 2002, in the United States, Portnow life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1983, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Portnow in 1966 was 66, and 83 in 2002.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Portnow

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Portnow family tree

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