Ness Family History

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Ness Name Meaning

Scandinavian (especially Norwegian), Scottish, and northern English: topographic name for someone who lived on a headland or promontory, Old Norse nes, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places named with this word; there are over a hundred farms in Norway and many settlements in Scotland and northern England so named English: according to Reaney and Wilson, a variant of Nash. German: habitational name from places called Nesse in Oldenburg and Friesland. German: from a short form of the female personal name Agnes (see Agnes 1).

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


Similar surnames: Noss, Hess, Hees, Nass, Bess, Ress, Neis, Gess, Weiss, Nese

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Ness Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Ness name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Ness. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    38%

  • Norway

    16%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    13%

  • Germanic Europe

    12%

  • Sweden

    8%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Ness Family Origin

Where is the Ness family from?

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You can see how Ness families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ness family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ness families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 77 Ness families living in Ontario. This was about 37% of all the recorded Ness's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Ness families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ness surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Ness

Ness Family Occupations

What did your Ness ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Ness occupation in Canada was Farmer. 34% of Ness's were Farmers. Farmer, Carpenter and Student were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Ness. A less common occupation for the Ness family was Labourer.

View Census data for Ness | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    34%

  • Carpenter

    17%

  • Student

    14%

  • Labourer

    10%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Ness ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Ness Historical Records

What Ness family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 85,000 census records available for the last name Ness. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Nesscensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Ness

Passenger List

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Ness. 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 Ness immigration records

Draft Card

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Ness. For the veterans among your Ness ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ness military records

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Ness Life Expectancy

What is the average Ness lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Ness life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Ness in 1944 was 28, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ness

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ness 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 Ness Family Ancestors

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