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Shanks Family History

Shanks Name Meaning

Scottish (Lanarkshire): habitational name from an unidentified place in southern Scotland with a name in the plural form presumably derived from Old Scots schank ‘hill spur’. Some have suggested Shank in Borthwick (Midlothian) or Culter Cleuch Shank in Crawford (Lanarkshire) with the unexplained addition of final -s but these seem unlikely. English: variant of Shank with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s.

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

Similar surnames: Shank, Shan, Shanes, Shands, Sands, Shand, Hanks, Stanis, Shane

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Where is the Shanks family from?

You can see how Shanks families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shanks family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shanks families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 127 Shanks families living in Ontario. This was about 42% of all the recorded Shanks's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shanks families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shanks surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Shanks

What did your Shanks ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Shanks | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Farmer
40%
Labourer
19%
Laborer
12%
Engineer
3%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

Student
19%
Housekeeper
19%
Clerk
12%
Farmer
12%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shanks family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 91,000 census records available for the last name Shanks. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shanks census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search Canadian census records for Shanks
Passenger Lists
There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Shanks. 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 Shanks immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 15,000 military records available for the last name Shanks. For the veterans among your Shanks ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Shanks military records

Census Records

There are 91,000 census records available for the last name Shanks. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shanks census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shanks

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Shanks. 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 Shanks immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 15,000 military records available for the last name Shanks. For the veterans among your Shanks ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shanks military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shanks family history

Discover More

What is the average Shanks lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Shanks life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Shanks in 1943 was 51, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shanks

Browse profiles of historical people with the Shanks last name