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Trotter Family History

Trotter Name Meaning

English (northern; also found in southern Scotland): perhaps from an unrecorded sense of Middle English trotter ‘one who rides a trotting horse’ a derivative of Middle English trotten ‘to ride at a trot at a fast pace’. It may have been given to a messenger (see Trotman ). Alternatively perhaps from a shortened form of an unrecorded Middle English trotterer ‘dealer in trotting horses’ a derivative of Middle English trotter (Old French trotier) ‘horse that trots’. German: occupational name for a vintner from a derivative of Middle High German trot(t)e ‘winepress’ (a loan translation from Latin calcatura). The word and the surname are confined largely to Alsace Lorraine Switzerland and Swabia.

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


Similar surnames: Rotter, Tretter, Trottier, Otter, Gritter, Zotter, Fritter, Cotter

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Where is the Trotter family from?

You can see how Trotter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Trotter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Trotter families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 200 Trotter families living in Ontario. This was about 66% of all the recorded Trotter's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Trotter families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Trotter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Trotter ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Trotter. 43% of Trotter men worked as a Farmer and 30% of Trotter women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Trotter were Student and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Trotter | 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
    43%
  • Labourer
    6%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Student
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    30%
  • Operator
    30%
  • Stenographer
    18%
  • Clerk
    12%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Trotter family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 113,000 census records available for the last name Trotter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Trotter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Trotter

Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Trotter. 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 Trotter immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 16,000 military records available for the last name Trotter. For the veterans among your Trotter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Trotter military records

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What is the average Trotter lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Trotter life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Trotter in 1940 was 48, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Trotter

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