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Big Family History

Big Surname Meaning

Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on (or just composed of) a word meaning ‘big’ such as Navajo Hastiin-tsoh ‘Big Man’ (see Tso compare Bigman).

Probably an altered or shortened form of some English surname such as Bigg and Biggs or an English translation or adaptation of some cognate or like-sounding name from continental Europe.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Big family from?

You can see how Big families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Big family name was found in the USA, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Big families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 24 Big families living in Alberta. This was about 41% of all the recorded Big's in Canada. Alberta had the highest population of Big families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Big 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 Big ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Laborer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Big. 47% of Big men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Big women worked as a Laborer.

View Census Data for Big | 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
    47%
  • Laborer
    20%
  • Trapper
    16%
  • Labourer
    12%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Laborer
    100%

What Big family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Big. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Big census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Big

Passenger Lists

There are 390 immigration records available for the last name Big. 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 Big immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 47,000 military records available for the last name Big. For the veterans among your Big ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Big military records

You've only scratched the surface of Big family history

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What is the average Big lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Big life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1989, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Big in 1956 was 47, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Big

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Big 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Big family tree

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