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Bei Family History

Bei Surname Meaning

Italian (Bèi): regional variant of Belli. The name is found especially in Perugia province.

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 貝 meaning ‘cowrie’ or ‘shell’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Bei Qiu (貝丘) originally a fief (located in Hebei province) in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).

(ii) simplified form of Bei (郥) the name of an ancient state (located in Shandong province).

Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 秘 (also pronounced as Bi or Mi in Mandarin in some local regions).

See Bi.

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


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Where is the Bei family from?

You can see how Bei families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bei family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Bei families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 5 Bei families living in Quebec. This was 100% of all the recorded Bei's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Bei families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bei 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 Bei ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Saleslady were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bei. 100% of Bei men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Bei women worked as a Saleslady.

View Census Data for Bei | 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

  • Laborer
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Saleslady
    100%

What Bei family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Bei. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bei census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bei

Passenger Lists

There are 499 immigration records available for the last name Bei. 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 Bei immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 205,000 military records available for the last name Bei. For the veterans among your Bei ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bei military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bei family history

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What is the average Bei lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Bei life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2001, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Bei in 1963 was 68, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bei

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bei 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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