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Fones Family History

Fones Name Meaning

English (West Midlands): variant of Fone usually with post-medieval excrescent -s from Middle English foun faun (Old French foun faon) ‘young animal cub’ especially ‘young fallow deer a fawn’. Possibly an Americanized form of German Fanz a nickname for a roguish or mischievous person from Middle High German vanz ‘joker rogue’.

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


Similar surnames: Cones, Jones, Dones, Mones, Bones, Jines, Doles, Ines, Somes, Copes

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Fones family from?

You can see how Fones families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fones family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fones families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 22 Fones families living in Ontario. This was about 67% of all the recorded Fones's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Fones families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fones surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Fones ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fones. 31% of Fones men worked as a Laborer and 11% of Fones women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fones were Painter and Saleslady. .

View Census Data for Fones | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    31%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Truck Driver
    6%
  • Painter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    11%
  • Seamstress
    7%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Saleslady
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Fones family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Fones. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fones census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Fones

Passenger Lists

There are 951 immigration records available for the last name Fones. 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 Fones immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Fones. For the veterans among your Fones ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Fones lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Fones life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Fones in 1944 was 26, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fones

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