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Porterfield Family History

Porterfield Name Meaning

English and Scottish: topographic name from Middle English porter(e) ‘gatekeeper doorkeeper’ + feld ‘open country bounded piece of land’ referring to the hereditary lands owned by a porter of a monastery (see Porter ) taken as a surname by the descendants of such an official. Black suggests that they would originally have been known as Porter but extended their name when ‘territorial surnames’ became fashionable.

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


Similar surnames: Porter, Holderfield, Potterfield, Overfield, Butterfield, Winterfeld

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Where is the Porterfield family from?

You can see how Porterfield families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Porterfield family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Porterfield families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 62 Porterfield families living in Ontario. This was about 61% of all the recorded Porterfield's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Porterfield families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Porterfield 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 Porterfield ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Porterfield. 75% of Porterfield men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Porterfield women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Porterfield were Laborer and School Teacher. .

View Census Data for Porterfield | 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
    75%
  • Farmers Son
    12%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Laborer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    50%
  • School Teacher
    50%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Porterfield family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 24,000 census records available for the last name Porterfield. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Porterfield census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Porterfield

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Porterfield. 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 Porterfield immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Porterfield. For the veterans among your Porterfield ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Porterfield military records

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What is the average Porterfield lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Porterfield life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Porterfield in 1950 was 45, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Porterfield

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