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Ives Family History

Ives Name Meaning

English (of Norman origin) and French: from the Old French personal name Ive Yve(s) (of which Ivon was originally an inflected form) with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. The name common among the Normans and Bretons was originally of Breton origin and derived ultimately from a British Celtic (or perhaps Gaulish) stem ib- ‘yew’. This surname is very rare in France; in North America it may thus in some cases (also) be an altered form of the variant Yves.

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


Similar surnames: Imes, Rives, Ivey, Ivers, Iles, Ivens, Hees, Vives, Mees, Kees

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Where is the Ives family from?

You can see how Ives families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ives family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ives families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 90 Ives families living in Ontario. This was about 41% of all the recorded Ives's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ives families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ives surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Ives ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Ives. 40% of Ives men worked as a Farmer and 25% of Ives women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ives were Student and Musician. .

View Census Data for Ives | 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
    40%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Student
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    25%
  • Stenographer
    25%
  • Income
    25%
  • Musician
    25%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Ives family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 157,000 census records available for the last name Ives. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ives census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ives

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Ives. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 19,000 military records available for the last name Ives. For the veterans among your Ives ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Ives lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Ives life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Ives in 1942 was 44, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ives

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