The Word surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,177 people carried this name — #5,628 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 5,926 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

19 families named Word, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 112 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 5
Virginia 5
New York 3
Maryland 3
South Carolina 2
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 269 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Word in American newspapers,
1867–1892.

Newspaper page from The Montana Post carrying the name Word
The Montana Post 1867-11-09
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Word
Great Falls Tribune 1889-09-28
Newspaper page from The Helena Independent carrying the name Word
The Helena Independent 1892-10-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,753 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Word in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

17,450 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Word. The most, 2,885, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,853
Queensland 3,869
Victoria 3,724
South Australia 1,945
Tasmania 986
Western Australia 916
ACT (Canberra) 97
Northern Territory 13

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Word.

Who carried it

People named Word,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas J. Word 1809–1890 · politician
  • Robert L. Word 1866–1945

Wikidata (CC0) · 6 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Word,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States455 records

455 records of the Word name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 227
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 97
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 71
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 46
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 9
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 3
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James R. Word

    Born 1918 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1941 at Fort McPherson Atlanta, Georgia; clerk. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Glenwood Cemetery, Fort Payne, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lilly Word

    Arrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Leerdam from Rotterdam, aged 21; artist. From Holland, the Netherlands.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Keneith Word

    Born 1948; from Sunnyvale, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Long An, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 455 records for Word in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia48 records

48 records of the Word name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 40
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Word

    Arrived in Queensland in 1889 aboard the Dorunda, aged 24.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George F. Word

    Painter of Hotham, Victoria; died 1879.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Morris Word

    Arrived in Victoria in 1892 aboard the Barmen, aged 38.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 48 records for Word in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada16 records

16 records of the Word name in Canada Nova Scotia Archives name indexes
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Aaron Edmund Word

    Died 1922 in North Alton, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Minnie J. Word

    Married 1886 in Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record William Word

    Listed at Horton Township, Kings, Nova Scotia in the census and tax rolls of 1838.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 16 records for Word in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Word name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wilhem Word

    Married in 1633 in Nijmegen.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mattheus Word

    Buried in 1741 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Jantien Word

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1863 in Meppel.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Word in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Word.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Word is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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