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Jelsma Family History

Jelsma Name Meaning

West Frisian: patronymic formed with the suffix -ma ‘(one of the) men of’ from a genitivized short form of the personal name Jelle a vernacular short form of an ancient Germanic name composed with the element gelt ‘sacrifice repay’.

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


Similar surnames: Tolsma, Bylsma, Jansma, Wiersma, Mesman, Jongsma, Belman, Belsky

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Jelsma family from?

You can see how Jelsma families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jelsma family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. The most Jelsma families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 14 Jelsma families living in Iowa. This was 100% of all the recorded Jelsma's in USA. Iowa had the highest population of Jelsma families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jelsma surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Jelsma ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Jelsma. 53% of Jelsma men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Jelsma women worked as a Clerk. .

View Census Data for Jelsma | 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

  • Farmer
    53%
  • Salesman
    22%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farm Laborer
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Jelsma family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 807 census records available for the last name Jelsma. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jelsma census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Jelsma

Passenger Lists

There are 184 immigration records available for the last name Jelsma. 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 Jelsma immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 125 military records available for the last name Jelsma. For the veterans among your Jelsma ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Jelsma military records

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What is the average Jelsma lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2003, in the United States, Jelsma life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1997, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Jelsma in 1963 was 71, and 55 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Jelsma

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