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Darby Family History

Darby Name Meaning

English: habitational name from the city of Derby the county seat of Derbyshire but also from the much smaller place called West Derby in Lancashire. Both are named from Old Norse djúr ‘deer’ + bȳ ‘farm settlement’. This form of the surname represents the pronunciation of both the placename and the surname. Irish: adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Ó Diarmada (or Mac Diarmada) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Diarmaid’ a personal name meaning ‘freeman’. See also Dermott McDermott . Gaelic Ó Duibhdhiormaigh was sometimes reinterpreted as Ó Diarmada and Darby could also be an Anglicized form of this name. The English surname is also established in Ireland having been taken to County Leix in the 16th century.

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


Similar surnames: Darcy, Carby, Dalby, Danby, Early, Hamby, Darty, Dery, Barry, Hardy

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Darby family from?

You can see how Darby families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Darby family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Darby families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 888 Darby families living in Staffordshire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Darby's in United Kingdom. Staffordshire had the highest population of Darby families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Darby surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Darby ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Darby. 7% of Darby men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Darby women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Darby were Incapacitated and Incapacitated. .

View Census Data for Darby | 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 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Darby family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 171,000 census records available for the last name Darby. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Darby census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Australian census records for Darby

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Darby. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Australia, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Darby immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Darby. For the veterans among your Darby ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Darby military records

You've only scratched the surface of Darby family history

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What is the average Darby lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Darby life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Darby in 1941 was 37, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Darby

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