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Steer Family History

Steer Name Meaning

English and German: from Middle English ster(e) Middle Low German stēr ‘young bull or ox steer bullock’ hence a nickname for a truculent person or perhaps a heavily built person or a metonymic occupational name for someone who was responsible for tending cattle. English: nickname from Middle English stere ‘strong stout’ (Old English stere). English: occupational name from Middle English stere ‘steersman helmsman’ (Old English steora). Compare Stearman . South German: from Middle High German ster ‘ram’ probably a nickname for a hard-nosed stubborn person.

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


Similar surnames: Speer, Stier, Stehr, Steuer, Styer, Steen, Steeb, Steeg, Stober

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Steer family from?

You can see how Steer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Steer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Steer families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 118 Steer families living in Ontario. This was about 75% of all the recorded Steer's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Steer families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Steer 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 Steer ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Domestic were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Steer. 41% of Steer men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Steer women worked as a Domestic. Some less common occupations for Americans named Steer were Laborer and Student. .

View Census Data for Steer | 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
    41%
  • Labourer
    15%
  • Carpenter
    8%
  • Laborer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Domestic
    50%
  • Student
    50%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Steer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 101,000 census records available for the last name Steer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Steer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Steer

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Steer. 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 Steer immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Steer military records

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What is the average Steer lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Steer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1961, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Steer in 1954 was 48, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Steer

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