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Taylor Family History

Taylor Surname Meaning

English Scottish and Irish: occupational name for a tailor from Anglo-Norman French Middle English taillour ‘tailor’ (Old French tailleor tailleur; Late Latin taliator from taliare ‘to cut’). The surname is extremely common in Britain and Ireland. In North America it has absorbed equivalents from other languages many of which are also common among Ashkenazic Jews for example German Schneider and Hungarian Szabo . It is also very common among African Americans. In some cases also an Americanized form of French Terrien ‘owner of a farmland’ or of its altered forms such as Therrien and Terrian .

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


Similar surnames: Aylor, Saylor, Naylor, Paylor, Tailor, Tallon, Kaylor, Meylor, Tabor

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Taylor family from?

You can see how Taylor families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Taylor family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Taylor families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 1,233 Taylor families living in New York. This was about 13% of all the recorded Taylor's in USA. New York had the highest population of Taylor families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Taylor surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Taylor ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Taylor. 16% of Taylor men worked as a Laborer and 9% of Taylor women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Taylor were Truck Driver and Cook. .

View Census Data for Taylor | 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 1940

  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Cook
    5%
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What Taylor family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6 million census records available for the last name Taylor. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Taylor census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Taylor

Passenger Lists

There are 732,000 immigration records available for the last name Taylor. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Taylor immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 859,000 military records available for the last name Taylor. For the veterans among your Taylor ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Taylor lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Taylor life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Taylor in 1940 was 43, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Taylor

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