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Port Family History

Port Name Meaning

English: from Middle English port(e) ‘gateway entrance’ (Old French porte from Latin porta) hence a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town or city or for the gatekeeper. Compare Porter English: topographic name for someone who lived near a harbor or in a market town from a homonymous Middle English port(e) (Old English port ‘harbor market town’ from Latin portus ‘harbor haven’ reinforced in Middle English by Old French port from the same source). English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Port‐en‐Bessin (Calvados) which is recorded as Portu in 1035–36. The placename derives from Latin portus ‘port harbour haven’. German: topographic name for someone who lived near a (city) gate from Middle Low German porte (modern German Pforte) (see 1 above). French (mainly Lorraine): habitational name from a place named Port e.g. in Meurthe-et-Moselle. Jewish (from Lithuania and Belarus): metonymic occupational from Belorussian port ‘thread of hemp or flax’; ‘kind of cloth shawl’.

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


Similar surnames: Porte, Pott, Fort, Ort, Post, Porta, Mort, Pont, Cort, Polt

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Where is the Port family from?

You can see how Port families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Port family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Port families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 86 Port families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Port's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Port families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Port surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Port ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Port. 30% of Port men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Port women worked as a Teacher. .

View Census Data for Port | 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

  • Laborer
    30%
  • Labourer
    24%
  • Car Inspector
    12%
  • Farmer
    12%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Port family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 76,000 census records available for the last name Port. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Port census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Port

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 47,000 military records available for the last name Port. For the veterans among your Port ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Port lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Port life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 1964. The average life expectancy for Port in 1950 was 50, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Port

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