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Willday Family History

Willday Surname Meaning

Probably a variant of Walthew. The originating personal name and surname are recorded in Staffs: Waldeve de Walton 12th cent. in Staffs Chartulary; William Waldyf 1305 in Assize Rolls (Staffs).

The name certainly survived in Staffs as Waltho and it may also have become *Waldy and perhaps *Weldy but a change to Wildy by 1327 is unexpected.

Alternatively, perhaps an extended form of wild ‘wild violent’ (see Wild) + -y or possibly a reduced form of Middle English wild + eye ‘wild eye’.

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Willday family from?

You can see how Willday families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Willday family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Willday families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there was 1 Willday family living in Ontario. This was 100% of all the recorded Willday's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Willday families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Willday 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 Willday ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Clicker (shoes) and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Willday. 100% of Willday men worked as a Clicker (shoes) and 91% of Willday women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Willday | 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.

England shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Clicker (shoes)
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    91%
  • Housewife
    10%

What Willday family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Willday. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Willday census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Willday

Passenger Lists

There are 113 immigration records available for the last name Willday. 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 Willday immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 130 military records available for the last name Willday. For the veterans among your Willday ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Willday military records

You've only scratched the surface of Willday family history

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What is the average Willday lifespan?

Between 1964 and 1974, in the United States, Willday life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1964, and highest in 1974. The average life expectancy for Willday in 1964 was 65, and 77 in 1974.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Willday

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Willday 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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