Johnson Family History

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Johnson Name Meaning

English and Scottish: patronymic from the personal name John. As an American family name, Johnson has absorbed patronymics and many other derivatives of this name in continental European languages. (For forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988.)

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Johnston, Johnsen, Jonson, Jackson, Janson, Johansen, Jonsson, Ohlson

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Johnson Family Origin

Where is the Johnson family from?

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You can see how Johnson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Johnson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Johnson families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 7,238 Johnson families living in Ontario. This was about 34% of all the recorded Johnson's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Johnson families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Johnson surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Johnson

Johnson Family Occupations

What did your Johnson ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the CA named Johnson. 38% of Johnson men worked as a Farmer and 10% of Johnson women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Johnson were Carpenter and Clerk

View Census data for Johnson | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1921

  • Farmer
    38%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Carpenter
    3%

Top Female Occupations in 1921

  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Stenographer
    8%
  • Farmer
    8%
  • Clerk
    7%

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Johnson Historical Records

What Johnson family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 8 million census records available for the last name Johnson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Johnson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Johnson

Passenger List

There are 949,000 immigration records available for the last name Johnson. 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 Johnson immigration records

Draft Card

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

View all Johnson military records

You've only scratched the surface of Johnson family history.

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Johnson Life Expectancy

What is the average Johnson lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Johnson life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Johnson in 1940 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Johnson

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Johnson 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.

Famous Johnson Family Ancestors

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