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Balfour Family History

Balfour Name Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from any of several places in eastern Scotland named with Gaelic bail(e) ‘village farm house’ + pùir genitive case of pór ‘pasture grass’ (lenited to phùir in certain contexts). The second element is akin to Welsh pawr ‘pasture’. The principal British family bearing this name derives it from the barony of Balfour in the parish of Markinch Fife. According to the traditional pronunciation the accent falls on the second syllable but these days it is found more commonly on the first.

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


Similar surnames: Alford, Badour, Galford, Baldon, Balcom, Balfe, Halford, Latour

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Balfour family from?

You can see how Balfour families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Balfour family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Balfour families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1911 there were 160 Balfour families living in Ontario. This was about 49% of all the recorded Balfour's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Balfour families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Balfour surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Balfour ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Balfour. 43% of Balfour men worked as a Farmer and 21% of Balfour women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Balfour were Labourer and Income. .

View Census Data for Balfour | 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
    43%
  • Student
    7%
  • Manager
    6%
  • Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    21%
  • Student
    18%
  • Teacher
    14%
  • Income
    14%
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What Balfour family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 48,000 census records available for the last name Balfour. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Balfour census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Balfour

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Balfour. 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 Balfour immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Balfour. For the veterans among your Balfour ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Balfour military records

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What is the average Balfour lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Balfour life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Balfour in 1945 was 25, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Balfour

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