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Ernest Family History

Ernest Name Meaning

French Walloon Dutch Polish Czech Jewish West Indian (mainly Haiti) and African (mainly Tanzania): from the personal name Ernest a cognate or a variant of German Dutch and Jewish Ernst . Americanized form of German Dutch Danish and Jewish Ernst . English: variant of Harness by folk-etymological association with the vocabulary word earnest. Compare Earnest .

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


Similar surnames: Ernst, Arnett, Ernesti, Earnest, Gernert, Emmert, Hergert, Nest

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Where is the Ernest family from?

You can see how Ernest families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ernest family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ernest families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 128 Ernest families living in Ontario. This was about 33% of all the recorded Ernest's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ernest families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ernest surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Ernest ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Institutrice were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Ernest. 37% of Ernest men worked as a Farmer and 74% of Ernest women worked as an Institutrice. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ernest were Laborer and Operator. .

View Census Data for Ernest | 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
    37%
  • Labourer
    12%
  • Cultivateur
    12%
  • Laborer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Institutrice
    74%
  • Domestic
    14%
  • Operator
    14%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Ernest family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 60,000 census records available for the last name Ernest. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ernest census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ernest

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Ernest. 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 Ernest immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Ernest military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ernest family history

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What is the average Ernest lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Ernest life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Ernest in 1945 was 38, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ernest

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