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Payne Family History

Payne Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English and Old French personal name Pai(e)n Pagen (from Latin Paganus) a fairly common personal name among Normans.

It derived from a word that originally meant ‘villager rustic’ later ‘heathen’ but it had doubtless lost these connotations in its use as a late medieval personal name.

This name has also been established in Ireland since the 14th century.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Payne family from?

You can see how Payne families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Payne family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Payne families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 213 Payne families living in New York. This was about 16% of all the recorded Payne's in USA. New York had the highest population of Payne families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Payne 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 Payne ancestors do for a living?

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

View Census Data for Payne | 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
    17%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%

What Payne family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search US census records for Payne

Passenger Lists

There are 83,000 immigration records available for the last name Payne. 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 Payne immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 155,000 military records available for the last name Payne. For the veterans among your Payne ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Payne military records

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