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Acton Family History

Acton Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of several places, especially in Shropshire and adjacent counties, named Acton.

Generally, these are from Old English ac ‘oak’ + tun ‘settlement’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Acton family from?

You can see how Acton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Acton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Acton families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 204 Acton families living in Ontario. This was about 65% of all the recorded Acton's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Acton families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Acton 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 Acton ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Acton. 63% of Acton men worked as a Farmer and 22% of Acton women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Acton were Farmers Son and Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Acton | 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
    63%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Farmers Son
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    22%
  • Teacher
    18%
  • Clerk
    14%
  • Bookkeeper
    14%

What Acton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 61,000 census records available for the last name Acton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Acton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Acton

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Acton. 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 Acton immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Acton. For the veterans among your Acton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Acton military records

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