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Brewster Family History

Brewster Name Meaning

English: occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale from Middle English brewestere browestere ‘(female) brewer’ (from Old English brēowan ‘to brew’). Brewer is the usual term in southern England while Brewster is mainly midland northern and Scottish.

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


Similar surnames: Brewer, Bruster, Breuer, Bester, Easter, Brester, Preister, Beisner

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Brewster family from?

You can see how Brewster families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brewster family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brewster families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 72 Brewster families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 28% of all the recorded Brewster's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Brewster families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brewster surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Brewster ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Brewster. 45% of Brewster men worked as a Farmer and 16% of Brewster women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brewster were Machinist and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Brewster | 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
    45%
  • Labourer
    18%
  • Engineer
    5%
  • Machinist
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    16%
  • Housewife
    16%
  • Nurse
    16%
  • Housekeeper
    16%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Brewster family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 146,000 census records available for the last name Brewster. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brewster census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Brewster

Passenger Lists

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Brewster. 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 Brewster immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 26,000 military records available for the last name Brewster. For the veterans among your Brewster ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brewster military records

You've only scratched the surface of Brewster family history

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What is the average Brewster lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Brewster life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Brewster in 1941 was 51, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brewster

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Brewster family tree

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