Durham Family History

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Durham Name Meaning

English: habitational name from Durham, a city in northeastern England, named from Old English dun ‘hill’ (see Down 1) + Old Norse holmr ‘island’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Dunham, Derham, Burham, Barham, Burnham, Burcham, Gorham, Turnham

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Durham Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Durham name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Durham. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    54%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    18%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    3%

  • Norway

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Durham Family Origin

Where is the Durham family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Durham families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Durham family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Durham families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 52 Durham families living in Kentucky. This was about 11% of all the recorded Durham's in the USA. Kentucky had the highest population of Durham families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Durham surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Durham

    Durham Family Occupations

    What did your Durham ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, a less common occupation for the Durham family was Farming. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Durham. The most common Durham occupation in the USA was Farmer. 50% of Durham's were Farmers.

    View Census data for Durham | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      50%

    • Laborer

      7%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      4%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Durham ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Durham Historical Records

    What Durham family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 198,000 census records available for the last name Durham. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Durham census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Durham

    Passenger List

    There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Durham. 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 Durham immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 41,000 military records available for the last name Durham. For the veterans among your Durham ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Durham military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Durham family history.

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    Durham Life Expectancy

    What is the average Durham lifespan?

    Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Durham life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Durham in 1944 was 36, and 71 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Durham

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Durham ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Durham Family Ancestors

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