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Cahill Family History

Cahill Surname Meaning

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Cathail or Ó Cathail ‘son (or descendant) of Cathal’

a personal name meaning ‘powerful in battle’.

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


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Where is the Cahill family from?

You can see how Cahill families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cahill family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cahill families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 169 Cahill families living in Ontario. This was about 33% of all the recorded Cahill's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Cahill families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cahill 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 Cahill ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Cahill. 34% of Cahill men worked as a Farmer and 25% of Cahill women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cahill were Machinist and Teacher.

View Census Data for Cahill | 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
    34%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Machinist
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    25%
  • Housekeeper
    20%
  • Clerk
    14%
  • Teacher
    7%

What Cahill family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 197,000 census records available for the last name Cahill. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cahill census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Cahill

Passenger Lists

There are 39,000 immigration records available for the last name Cahill. 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 Cahill immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Cahill. For the veterans among your Cahill ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cahill military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cahill family history

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What is the average Cahill lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Cahill life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Cahill in 1940 was 43, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cahill

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cahill 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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