Perkins Family History

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Perkins Name Meaning

English: patronymic from Perkin, also found throughout mid and south Wales. Dutch: patronymic from a pet form of Peer, a Dutch form of Peter.

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


Similar surnames: Parkins, Parkin, Perkin, Perrins, Edkins, Perrin, Denkins, Persons

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Perkins Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Perkins name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    51%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    18%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    4%

  • Benin/Togo

    3%

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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Perkins Family Origin

Where is the Perkins family from?

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You can see how Perkins families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Perkins family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Perkins families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 513 Perkins families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Perkins's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Perkins families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Perkins surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Perkins

Perkins Family Occupations

What did your Perkins ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Perkins family was Servant. The most common Perkins occupation in Canada was Farmer. 32% of Perkins's were Farmers. Farmer, School and Laborer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Perkins.

View Census data for Perkins | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    32%

  • School

    5%

  • Laborer

    3%

  • Servant

    3%

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

Perkins Historical Records

What Perkins family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 804,000 census records available for the last name Perkins. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Perkins census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Perkins

Passenger List

There are 57,000 immigration records available for the last name Perkins. 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.

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Draft Card

There are 136,000 military records available for the last name Perkins. For the veterans among your Perkins ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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

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Perkins Life Expectancy

What is the average Perkins lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Perkins life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Perkins in 1940 was 45, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Perkins

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

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