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Sheldon Family History

Sheldon Name Meaning

English: habitational name in most cases from Sheldon in Derbyshire but sometimes from Sheldon in Warwickshire or Devon or from Sheldon in Chippenham (Wiltshire). The Derbyshire place recorded in Domesday Book as Scelhadun probably takes its name from Old English scelf ‘rock ledge shelf’ + the placename Haddon itself from Old English hǣth ‘heath’ + dūn ‘hill’. The Warwickshire and Wiltshire placenames probably derive from Old English scelf + dūn while the Devon placename probably comes from Old English scelf + denu ‘valley’.

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


Similar surnames: Skeldon, Shelton, Eldon, Hendon, Elton, Wheeldon, Selden, Sneddon

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Where is the Sheldon family from?

You can see how Sheldon families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sheldon family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sheldon families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 132 Sheldon families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Sheldon's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Sheldon families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sheldon surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Sheldon ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Sheldon. 44% of Sheldon men worked as a Farmer and 23% of Sheldon women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sheldon were Labourer and Income. .

View Census Data for Sheldon | 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
    44%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Farmers Son
    6%
  • Labourer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    23%
  • Housewife
    23%
  • Stenographer
    23%
  • Income
    12%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sheldon family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 207,000 census records available for the last name Sheldon. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sheldon census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 19,000 immigration records available for the last name Sheldon. 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 30,000 military records available for the last name Sheldon. For the veterans among your Sheldon ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Sheldon lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Sheldon life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Sheldon in 1944 was 56, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sheldon

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