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Drayton Family History

Drayton Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the very numerous places in England named Drayton notably those in Lincolnshire and Hampshire or named with Drayton such as Dry Drayton Fen Drayton in Cambridgeshire or from Dreyton in Devon. The name comes from Old English dræg ‘drag portage slipway’ or ‘sledge’ (a place where boats were dragged across land or where loads had to be dragged uphill or on sledges across wet ground from dragan ‘to draw or drag’) + tūn ‘enclosure settlement’.

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


Similar surnames: Brayton, Clayton, Grafton, Dalton, Bratton, Gratton, Layton, Payton

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Where is the Drayton family from?

You can see how Drayton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Drayton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Drayton families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 24 Drayton families living in Ontario. This was about 39% of all the recorded Drayton's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Drayton families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Drayton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Drayton ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Drayton. 54% of Drayton men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Drayton | 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
    54%
  • Labourer
    16%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farmers Son
    16%
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What Drayton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 46,000 census records available for the last name Drayton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Drayton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Drayton

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Drayton. 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 Drayton immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Drayton. For the veterans among your Drayton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Drayton military records

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What is the average Drayton lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Drayton life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1966. The average life expectancy for Drayton in 1943 was 44, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Drayton

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