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Mary Family History

Mary Name Meaning

English: from the Middle English and Old French female personal name Marie Latin Maria . Compare Marrison Marion Marriott Markin . — Note: It is likely that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau (which dropped from 2215 in the year 2000 to 1547 in the year 2010) the female personal name Mary of some American bearers is also counted as a surname. Some of these bearers may be from countries such as Indonesia where (hereditary) surnames are not in general use; their personal name was thus registered as a surname only after their immigration to the US. French: from a variant of the female personal name Marie . French: habitational name from any of the places in Saône-et-Loire Seine-et-Marne and Nièvre named Mary from Gallo-Roman Mariacum ‘estate of Marius’. French: from a vernacular form of the personal name Marius .

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

Similar surnames: Mars, Marcy, Mare, May, Lary, Mark, Mory, Many, Mery, Maury

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Where is the Mary family from?

You can see how Mary families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mary family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mary families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 190 Mary families living in Ontario. This was about 39% of all the recorded Mary's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Mary families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mary surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Mary

What did your Mary ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Mary | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Farmer
48%
Labourer
16%
Carpenter
7%
Painter
6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

Housekeeper
18%
Teacher
18%
Stenographer
18%
Cook
11%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Mary family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 244,000 census records available for the last name Mary. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mary census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search Canadian census records for Mary
Passenger Lists
There are 41,000 immigration records available for the last name Mary. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Mary immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Mary. For the veterans among your Mary ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Mary military records

Census Records

There are 244,000 census records available for the last name Mary. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mary census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Mary

Passenger Lists

There are 41,000 immigration records available for the last name Mary. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Mary immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Mary. For the veterans among your Mary ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mary military records

You've only scratched the surface of Mary family history

Discover More

What is the average Mary lifespan?

Between 1953 and 2004, in the United States, Mary life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1980, and highest in 1974. The average life expectancy for Mary in 1953 was 58, and 64 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mary

Browse profiles of historical people with the Mary last name