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Will Family History

Will Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Will, a short form of William. This surname is now commonly found in Scotland in Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Kincardineshire.

English: topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream from Middle English wel, wel(l)e, wille in a southwestern dialect form. This surname is found predominantly in the south and southwestern parts of the country. Compare Well.

English: nickname from Middle English iwil, wil(l)e ‘agreeable, pleasing’.

German: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names beginning with wil ‘will, desire’.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Will family from?

You can see how Will families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Will family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Will families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 184 Will families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Will's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Will families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Will 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 Will ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Will. 56% of Will men worked as a Farmer and 30% of Will women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Will were Carpenter and Operator.

View Census Data for Will | 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
    56%
  • Labourer
    12%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Carpenter
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    30%
  • Servant
    30%
  • Teacher
    20%
  • Operator
    20%

What Will family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 98,000 census records available for the last name Will. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Will census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Will

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Will. 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 Will immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Will. For the veterans among your Will ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Will military records

You've only scratched the surface of Will family history

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What is the average Will lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Will life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1961, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Will in 1943 was 54, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Will

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Will 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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