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Boer Family History

Boer Name Meaning

Dutch and North German: occupational name for a farmer or landsman from Dutch boer Middle Low German būr ‘dweller citizen neighbor farmer’ (see Bauer ). Compare De Boer and Den Boer .

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


Similar surnames: Beer, Baer, Boger, Bier, Boker, Boner, Boe, Borer, Bower, Mohr

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Boer family from?

You can see how Boer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Boer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Boer families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 12 Boer families living in Ontario. This was about 39% of all the recorded Boer's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Boer families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Boer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Boer ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Boer. 60% of Boer men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Boer | 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
    60%
  • Laborer
    40%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Boer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Boer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Boer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Boer

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Boer. 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 Boer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Boer. For the veterans among your Boer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Boer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Boer family history

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What is the average Boer lifespan?

Between 1960 and 2004, in the United States, Boer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Boer in 1960 was 40, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Boer

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Boer family tree

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