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On Family History

On Name Meaning

Vietnamese (Ôn): from the Chinese surname 溫 see Wen Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 安 see An Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 溫 see Wen Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 翁 see Weng Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 安 (meaning ‘peace’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US. Turkish (Ön): ornamental name or nickname from ön ‘front foremost’. As a nickname it was in some cases applied to families living in the first house in a village.

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


Similar surnames: Ong, Don, Un, Ou, Hon, O, Mon, Pon, Oen, Son

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Where is the On family from?

You can see how On families moved over time by selecting different census years. The On family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most On families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 34 On families living in British Columbia. This was about 44% of all the recorded On's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of On families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the On 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 On ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named On. 37% of On men worked as a Labourer. .

View Census Data for On | 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

  • Labourer
    37%
  • Cook
    16%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Farmer
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What On family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name On. Like a window into their day-to-day life, On census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for On

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name On. 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 On immigration records

Draft Cards

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

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What is the average On lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, On life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1996, and highest in 1980. The average life expectancy for On in 1963 was 76, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for On

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