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Mitchell Family History

Mitchell Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: from the vernacular pronunciation in Middle English and Older Scots of the personal name Michael. See Michelson.

English and Scottish: nickname for a big man from Middle English michel mechel muchel ‘big’.

Irish (County Connacht): surname adopted as equivalent of Mulvihill.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Mitchell family from?

You can see how Mitchell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mitchell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mitchell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 292 Mitchell families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 10% of all the recorded Mitchell's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Mitchell families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mitchell 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 Mitchell ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Mitchell. 17% of Mitchell men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Mitchell women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mitchell were Truck Driver and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Mitchell | 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
    17%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Cook
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Mitchell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Mitchell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mitchell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Mitchell

Passenger Lists

There are 325,000 immigration records available for the last name Mitchell. 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 Mitchell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 383,000 military records available for the last name Mitchell. For the veterans among your Mitchell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Mitchell military records

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