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Origins of the Young surname

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What does the name Young mean?

Young is a relatively common surname that, when found in the British Isles, is primarily derived from the nickname given to distinguish a father and son of the same personal name in a particular family. The word Young has roots in the Middle English yunge or yonge, with the same meaning. The Young surname is the 11th most common in New Zealand, 22nd in Scotland, and 49th in England. It can also be seen as an anglicisation of a number of similar names in other languages, such as Jong or De Jong (Dutch), Jung or Junk (German), Ljung (Swedish) and Dion, Guyon, Lejeune or Lajeunesse (French).

Alternative variations of the name Young

Young, Younge, Yonge, Yunge, Youngson

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Where do most Youngs live?

In 1921, most Youngs lived in London.


Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

Interesting facts about Youngs

How common is your surname?

43rd most common surname in the UK

We have 602,000 records for the Young surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Youngs most likely to marry?

Smiths

&

Johnsons

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Youngs.

What are the most common Young first names?

  • John
  • William
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of Young family members

Common jobs for Youngs

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common Female occupations for Youngs in 1921
Dressmaker

2,999

Domestic Servant

1,741

Laundress

1,593

Housekeeper

1,331

General Servant Domestic

1,228

Common Male occupations for Youngs in 1921
Coal Miner

3,200

Agricultural Labourer

2,233

General Labourer

2,128

Farmer

2,032

Tailor

1,539

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We found over 580,000 family trees with the Young surname

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