Ramsey Family History

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Ramsey Name Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from a place in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), so called from Old English hramsa ‘wild garlic’ + eg ‘island’, ‘low-lying land’. There are other places in England called Ramsey, but the one in Huntingdonshire is almost certainly the source of the surname. The usual spelling of the surname in Scotland is Ramsay.

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


Similar surnames: Rumsey, Ramsden, Ramser, Ramsay, Rampey, Kimsey, Massey, Romney

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Ramsey Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Ramsey name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    53%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    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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Ramsey Family Origin

Where is the Ramsey family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Ramsey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ramsey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ramsey families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 205 Ramsey families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 20% of all the recorded Ramsey's in the USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Ramsey families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ramsey surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Ramsey

    Ramsey Family Occupations

    What did your Ramsey ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Ramsey occupation in the USA was Farmer. 44% of Ramsey's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Ramsey family was Farming. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Ramsey.

    View Census data for Ramsey | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      44%

    • Laborer

      7%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      4%

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

    Ramsey Historical Records

    What Ramsey family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 343,000 census records available for the last name Ramsey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ramsey 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 Ramsey

    Passenger List

    There are 26,000 immigration records available for the last name Ramsey. 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 Ramsey immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 71,000 military records available for the last name Ramsey. For the veterans among your Ramsey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Ramsey military records

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

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    Ramsey Life Expectancy

    What is the average Ramsey lifespan?

    Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Ramsey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Ramsey in 1941 was 34, and 75 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ramsey

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

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