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Starr Family History

Starr Name Meaning

English: from Middle English sterre ‘star’ (Old English steorra) used like the Old Norse Stjarna as a nickname but also occasionally as a personal name. The word was also used in a transferred sense of a patch of white hair on the forehead of a horse and so perhaps the nickname denoted someone with a streak of white hair. This surname has been established in Ireland since the 17th century. English: in addition the name may occasionally also have been topographic or habitational referring to a house or inn distinguished by the sign of a star (see 2 above). Surnames derived from house and inn signs are rare in English. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Star 1 and In some cases also an American shortened and altered form of Slovenian Stare or of some other Slovenian Croatian or Serbian surname beginning with Star- ‘old’ such as Slovenian Starc (see Startz ) Serbian and Croatian Starčević (see Starcevic ).

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


Similar surnames: Star, Sparr, Stare, Start, Stark, Stair, Torr, Tarr, Stahr, Stier

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Where is the Starr family from?

You can see how Starr families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Starr family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Starr families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 152 Starr families living in Ontario. This was about 48% of all the recorded Starr's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Starr families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Starr surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Starr ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Starr. 28% of Starr men worked as a Farmer and 32% of Starr women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Starr were Merchant and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Starr | 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
    28%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Merchant
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    32%
  • Student
    25%
  • Farmer
    19%
  • Teacher
    13%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Starr family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 172,000 census records available for the last name Starr. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Starr census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Starr

Passenger Lists

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Starr. 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 37,000 military records available for the last name Starr. For the veterans among your Starr ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Starr military records

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What is the average Starr lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Starr life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Starr in 1943 was 41, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Starr

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