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Gelb Family History

Gelb Name Meaning

Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German gelb ‘yellow’. It can be either a nickname or a surname distributed to Jews at random by Austrian clerks. German: nickname for someone with fair hair from Middle High German gel German gelb ‘yellow’. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine).

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


Similar surnames: Gell, Garb, Kalb, Gehl, Geib, Belz, Bel, Gil, Geck, Gent

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Gelb family from?

You can see how Gelb families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gelb family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Gelb families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 14 Gelb families living in New Brunswick. This was about 93% of all the recorded Gelb's in Canada. New Brunswick had the highest population of Gelb families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gelb surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gelb ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Salesman and Saleslady were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gelb. 28% of Gelb men worked as a Salesman and 12% of Gelb women worked as a Saleslady. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gelb were Manager and New Worker. .

View Census Data for Gelb | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Salesman
    28%
  • Proprietor
    9%
  • Clerk
    9%
  • Manager
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Saleslady
    12%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Bookkeeper
    9%
  • New Worker
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gelb family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Gelb. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gelb census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Gelb

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Gelb. 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 Gelb immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Gelb. For the veterans among your Gelb ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gelb military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gelb family history

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What is the average Gelb lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Gelb life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Gelb in 1956 was 55, and 68 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gelb

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