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Hunt Family History

Hunt Surname Meaning

English (southwestern): occupational name for a hunter from Middle English hunte ‘hunter huntsman’ (Old English hunta). The term was used not only of the hunting on horseback of game such as stags and wild boars which in the Middle Ages was a pursuit restricted to the ranks of the nobility but also to much humbler forms of pursuit such as bird catching and poaching for food.

The word seems also to have been used as an Old English personal name and to have survived into the Middle Ages as an occasional personal name. Compare Huntington and Huntley.

Irish: adopted for various Irish surnames containing or thought to contain the Gaelic element fiadhach ‘hunt’; for example Ó Fiaich (see Fee) and Ó Fiachna (see Fenton).

Possibly an Americanized form of German Hundt.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Hunt family from?

You can see how Hunt families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hunt family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hunt families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 620 Hunt families living in New York. This was about 21% of all the recorded Hunt's in USA. New York had the highest population of Hunt families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hunt 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 Hunt ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Hunt. 16% of Hunt men worked as a Farmer and 6% of Hunt women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hunt were Truck Driver and Maid.

View Census Data for Hunt | 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
    16%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Maid
    6%

What Hunt family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Hunt. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hunt census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Hunt

Passenger Lists

There are 125,000 immigration records available for the last name Hunt. 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 Hunt immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 219,000 military records available for the last name Hunt. For the veterans among your Hunt ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hunt military records

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