Kennedy Family History

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Kennedy Name Meaning

Irish and Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceannéidigh ‘descendant of Ceannéidigh’, a personal name derived from ceann ‘head’ + éidigh ‘ugly’.

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


Similar surnames: Kenny, Dennehy, Kenley, Kenneth, Tunney, Kenney, Keady, Benney

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Kennedy Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Kennedy name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    44%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    29%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • France

    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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Kennedy Family Origin

Where is the Kennedy family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Kennedy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kennedy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kennedy families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 169 Kennedy families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 16% of all the recorded Kennedy's in the USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Kennedy families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kennedy surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Kennedy

    Kennedy Family Occupations

    What did your Kennedy ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Kennedy occupation in the USA was Farmer. 27% of Kennedy's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Kennedy family was Carpenter. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Kennedy.

    View Census data for Kennedy | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      27%

    • Laborer

      12%

    • Keeping House

      7%

    • Carpenter

      2%

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

    Kennedy Historical Records

    What Kennedy family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 1 million census records available for the last name Kennedy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kennedy 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 Kennedy

    Passenger List

    There are 228,000 immigration records available for the last name Kennedy. 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 Kennedy immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 250,000 military records available for the last name Kennedy. For the veterans among your Kennedy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Kennedy military records

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

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    Kennedy Life Expectancy

    What is the average Kennedy lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Kennedy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Kennedy in 1940 was 48, and 74 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kennedy

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kennedy 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 Kennedy Family Ancestors

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