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Hardy Family History

Hardy Surname Meaning

English, French, and Walloon: nickname for a brave or foolhardy man from Old French and Middle English hardi ‘bold, courageous’. The surname of Walloon origin is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium (mainly in Belgian Limburg).

Compare Hard Irish: in addition to being an importation of the English name, this is also found as an Anglicized form (by partial translation) of Gaelic Mac Giolla Deacair ‘son of the hard lad’.

Americanized form of Swiss German Härdi: from a pet form of an ancient Germanic personal name composed with hard ‘brave, strong’.

Polish: nickname from hardy ‘haughty, proud’ (compare Gardy).

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


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Where is the Hardy family from?

You can see how Hardy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hardy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hardy families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 922 Hardy families living in Quebec. This was about 35% of all the recorded Hardy's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Hardy families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hardy 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 Hardy ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Hardy. 27% of Hardy men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Hardy women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hardy were Laborer and Student.

View Census Data for Hardy | 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
    27%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Cultivateur
    6%
  • Laborer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Stenographer
    9%
  • Teacher
    9%
  • Student
    9%

What Hardy family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 680,000 census records available for the last name Hardy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hardy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Hardy

Passenger Lists

There are 62,000 immigration records available for the last name Hardy. 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 Hardy immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 91,000 military records available for the last name Hardy. For the veterans among your Hardy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hardy military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hardy family history

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What is the average Hardy lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hardy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Hardy in 1940 was 39, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hardy

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hardy ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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