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Shell Family History

Shell Name Meaning

English and Irish: variant of Shield . English: from Middle English s(c)hele ‘hut’ (Old English scela) a term confined to northern England and southern Scotland. The surname may be topographic for someone who lived in or near a hut or habitational from a place so named. The element is found in several minor placenames in the forms Shiel and Shield in northern and midland England and southern Scotland. See Shield . English: habitational name from Shell in Himbleton (Worcestershire) from Old English scelf ‘rock ledge shelf’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Schelle ‘bell’. Americanized form of German Schell .

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


Similar surnames: Sell, Hell, Helle, Rishell, Shall, Knell, Shelley, Snell, Stell

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Where is the Shell family from?

You can see how Shell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 102 Shell families living in Ontario. This was about 70% of all the recorded Shell's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shell families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shell ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Shell. 49% of Shell men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Shell | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    49%
  • Laborer
    17%
  • Labourer
    14%
  • Mechanic
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 71,000 census records available for the last name Shell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shell

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Shell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Shell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Shell. For the veterans among your Shell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shell military records

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What is the average Shell lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Shell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Shell in 1945 was 38, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shell

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