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Niven Family History

Niven Name Meaning

Scottish and Irish: from Scottish Gaelic Mac Naoimhín a patronymic from a personal name based on a diminutive of naomh ‘holy saint’. See McNiven and Nevin

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


Similar surnames: Nivens, Biven, Diven, Mcniven, Givan, Linen, Aiken, Bivens, Divens

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Where is the Niven family from?

You can see how Niven families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Niven family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Niven families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1911 there were 46 Niven families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Niven's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Niven families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Niven surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Niven ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Servant were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Niven. 67% of Niven men worked as a Farmer and 60% of Niven women worked as a Servant. Some less common occupations for Americans named Niven were Agent and Income. .

View Census Data for Niven | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    67%
  • Labourer
    15%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Agent
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servant
    60%
  • Income
    40%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Niven family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 33,000 census records available for the last name Niven. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Niven census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Niven

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Niven. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Niven. For the veterans among your Niven ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Niven military records

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What is the average Niven lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Niven life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Niven in 1957 was 26, and 84 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Niven

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