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Hess Family History

Hess Surname Meaning

German Dutch Danish and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from the territory of Hesse (see Hessen).

South German: from a short form of the personal name Matthäus (see Matthew).

German and Dutch: from the ancient Germanic personal name Hesso, a derivative of a compound name formed with hadu ‘strife’ as the first element or from a pet form of Herman or Hendrik (see Henry).

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


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Where is the Hess family from?

You can see how Hess families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hess family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hess families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 257 Hess families living in Ontario. This was about 74% of all the recorded Hess's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Hess families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hess 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 Hess ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Hess. 60% of Hess men worked as a Farmer and 27% of Hess women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hess were Laborer and Clerk.

View Census Data for Hess | 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
    60%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Jeweler
    4%
  • Laborer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    27%
  • Housekeeper
    27%
  • Operator
    20%
  • Clerk
    14%

What Hess family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 267,000 census records available for the last name Hess. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hess census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Hess

Passenger Lists

There are 34,000 immigration records available for the last name Hess. 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 Hess immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 86,000 military records available for the last name Hess. For the veterans among your Hess ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hess military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hess family history

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What is the average Hess lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hess life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Hess in 1940 was 40, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hess

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hess 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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