History of your Surname
Get access to Vaughan family records.Start a 14-Day Free Trial

Vaughan Family History

Vaughan Surname Meaning

Welsh: from fychan a lenited form of bychan a diminutive of bach ‘little’. This was often used to distinguish the younger of two bearers of the same personal name typically the son of a father with the same name.

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


Similar surnames: Baughan, Faughnan, Gargan, Mccaughan, Gaughran, Haughton, Pagan

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Vaughan family from?

You can see how Vaughan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Vaughan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Vaughan families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 178 Vaughan families living in Virginia. This was about 26% of all the recorded Vaughan's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Vaughan families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Vaughan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Vaughan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Vaughan. 19% of Vaughan men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Vaughan women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Vaughan were Clerk and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Vaughan | 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

  • Farmer
    19%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Clerk
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    8%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    7%
  • Stenographer
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Vaughan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 357,000 census records available for the last name Vaughan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Vaughan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Vaughan

Passenger Lists

There are 58,000 immigration records available for the last name Vaughan. 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 Vaughan immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 58,000 military records available for the last name Vaughan. For the veterans among your Vaughan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Vaughan military records

You've only scratched the surface of Vaughan family history

Discover More

What is the average Vaughan lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Vaughan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Vaughan in 1941 was 50, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Vaughan

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Vaughan family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Vaughan last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial