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Bais Family History

Bais Surname Meaning

Dutch (mainly North Holland): patronymic from the personal name Baije, which is a derivative of an ancient Germanic name beginning with the element bern- ‘bear’, or possibly a variant of Boije, which may be a derivative of Boidin and thus a variant of Baldwin.

Italian (Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino-South Tyrol): nickname derived from German weiss ‘white’. Americanized form of Croatian and Slovenian Bajs: nickname from dialect bajs ‘bass’ (the musical instrument), figuratively ‘fatty potbelly’. The surname in the form Bais is found in Croatia too, where it is a less common variant.

Indian: Kshatriya Rajput name found among the Dhangar people of Maharashtra, ultimately from Sanskrit vasati ‘dwelling’ and by extension ‘one who owns land’. This is the name of a tribe originally found in the Manjhi Paithan region of the Deccan; Baiswada in Ganga-Yamuna Doaba is a district named for them.

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


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Where is the Bais family from?

You can see how Bais families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bais family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bais families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 28 Bais families living in Quebec. This was about 74% of all the recorded Bais's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Bais families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bais surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bais ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Journalier and Instituteur were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bais. 36% of Bais men worked as a Journalier and 82% of Bais women worked as an Instituteur. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bais were Farmer and Tudiant.

View Census Data for Bais | 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

  • Journalier
    36%
  • Cultivateur
    26%
  • Fils De Cultivateur
    20%
  • Farmer
    13%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Instituteur
    82%
  • Tudiant
    19%

What Bais family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search Canadian census records for Bais

Passenger Lists

There are 739 immigration records available for the last name Bais. 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 Bais immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 868 military records available for the last name Bais. For the veterans among your Bais ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bais military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bais family history

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What is the average Bais lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Bais life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1976. The average life expectancy for Bais in 1942 was 29, and 67 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bais ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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