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Wilford Family History

Wilford Name Meaning

English (Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire): habitational name from either of two places called Wilford in Nottinghamshire and Suffolk both probably named with an Old English wilig ‘willow tree’ + Old English ford ‘ford’. Americanized form of German Wilfert .

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


Similar surnames: Winford, Walford, Welford, Milford, Wolford, Colford, Swinford

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Where is the Wilford family from?

You can see how Wilford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wilford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wilford families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 95 Wilford families living in Ontario. This was about 63% of all the recorded Wilford's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Wilford families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wilford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Wilford ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Wilford. 35% of Wilford men worked as a Farmer and 34% of Wilford women worked as a Farmer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wilford were Machinist and Income. .

View Census Data for Wilford | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    35%
  • Labourer
    12%
  • Merchant
    6%
  • Machinist
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    34%
  • Spinner
    34%
  • Income
    34%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wilford family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 33,000 census records available for the last name Wilford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wilford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Wilford

Passenger Lists

There are 31,000 immigration records available for the last name Wilford. 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 Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Wilford. For the veterans among your Wilford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wilford military records

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What is the average Wilford lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Wilford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1961, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Wilford in 1950 was 57, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wilford

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