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Shern Family History

Shern Surname Meaning

Americanized form of Norwegian Skjøren: habitational name from a variant of the farm name Sjøren in Sarpsborg in the province of Østfold in Old Norse Sjóarendi a compound of sjór ‘lake’ and endi ‘end’ denoting a farm at the end of the lake.

Americanized form of Schern itself a Germanized form of Sorbian Cern ‘black’ (see Zern) or perhaps by shortening of some other surname beginning with Cern-. The surname Schern is very rare in Germany.

In some cases probably also Chinese: variant of Shen.

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


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Where is the Shern family from?

You can see how Shern families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shern family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shern families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 10 Shern families living in Ontario. This was about 77% of all the recorded Shern's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shern families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shern 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 Shern ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer and School Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Shern. 50% of Shern men worked as a Labourer and 100% of Shern women worked as a School Teacher.

View Census Data for Shern | 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

  • Labourer
    50%
  • Farmer
    50%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • School Teacher
    100%

What Shern family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Shern. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shern census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shern

Passenger Lists

There are 728 immigration records available for the last name Shern. 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 Shern immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 333 military records available for the last name Shern. For the veterans among your Shern ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shern military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shern family history

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What is the average Shern lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Shern life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1978, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Shern in 1963 was 76, and 91 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shern

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Shern 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Shern family tree

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