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Finn Family History

Finn Name Meaning

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Finn ‘descendant of Fionn’ a byname meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair-haired’; it is often found Anglicized as White . This name is borne by several families in the west of Ireland. English and Scottish: from the Middle English personal name Fin(n) (Old Norse Finnr Fin originally ‘Finn’) used both as a byname and as a short form of various compound names with this first element. English (Kent of Norman origin): variant of Finnis a habitational name from Fiennes Pas-de-Calais France. See Fines German: ethnic name for someone from Finland.

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


Similar surnames: Kinn, Linn, Ginn, Rinn, Finne, Finan, Fina, Fink, Fino, Pinn

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Where is the Finn family from?

You can see how Finn families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Finn family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Finn families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 228 Finn families living in Ontario. This was about 67% of all the recorded Finn's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Finn families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Finn surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Finn ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Finn. 29% of Finn men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Finn women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Finn were Laborer and Farmer. .

View Census Data for Finn | 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
    29%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Engineer
    8%
  • Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    15%
  • Operator
    15%
  • Stenographer
    10%
  • Farmer
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Finn family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 183,000 census records available for the last name Finn. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Finn census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Finn

Passenger Lists

There are 30,000 immigration records available for the last name Finn. 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 Finn immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Finn. For the veterans among your Finn ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Finn military records

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What is the average Finn lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Finn life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Finn in 1940 was 36, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Finn

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