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Vajda Family History

Vajda Name Meaning

Hungarian Slovak Rusyn (from Slovakia) Czech Slovenian Croatian and Serbian: status name from Hungarian vajda ‘leader governor’ a title of Slavic origin (from vojvoda ‘commander military leader’ later ‘duke’). The Hungarian name is especially common in Transylvania (which is since WWI entirely in Romania and the surname is hence mostly spelled Vaida ) where before the creation of the independent Hungarian principality the term had denoted the highest ranking administrative and military leader. In medieval times various Romanian village leaders as well as the leaders of gypsy caravans were also called vajda; this title is still in use for gypsy leaders in Slovakia where the surname is common too. Compare Vayda and Wayda ; see also Polish Wajda . Croatian: in some cases also a nickname from the dialect word vajda ‘benefit behalf’ of Turkish origin. Jewish (from Hungary): adoption of the name in 1 above either as a Hungarian calque of the formerly used German-based surname or because the Hungarian surname has some sounds in common with the original surname.

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


Similar surnames: Vadas, Gajda, Rada, Lada, Gazda, Banda, Varda, Hajdu, Wajda, Kanda

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Where is the Vajda family from?

You can see how Vajda families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Vajda family name was found in the USA in 1920. In 1920 there were 9 Vajda families living in New York. This was about 24% of all the recorded Vajda's in USA. New York and 1 other state had the highest population of Vajda families in 1920.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Vajda 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 Vajda ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer was the top reported job for people in the USA named Vajda. 34% of Vajda men worked as a Laborer. .

View Census Data for Vajda | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    34%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Miner
    17%
  • Machinist
    9%
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What Vajda family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Vajda. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Vajda census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Vajda

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Vajda. 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 Vajda immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 635 military records available for the last name Vajda. For the veterans among your Vajda ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Vajda lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Vajda life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1966, and highest in 1977. The average life expectancy for Vajda in 1949 was 63, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Vajda

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