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Ke Family History

Ke Surname Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 柯 meaning ‘bough stalk’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Ke Lu (柯盧) personal name of a prince of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the first element of the placename Ke Ze (柯澤) the name of a fief (located in Shandong province) granted to an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).

(iii) traced back to the Qiang ethnic group in ancient western China and the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China. (iv) adopted as a surname by the Ke Ba (柯拔) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).

Chinese: variant of Ge. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 紀 see Ji.

Vietnamese: unexplained.

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


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Where is the Ke family from?

You can see how Ke families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ke family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Ke families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 3 Ke families living in British Columbia. This was about 50% of all the recorded Ke's in Canada. British Columbia and 1 other province had the highest population of Ke families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ke 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 Ke ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Ke. 43% of Ke men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Ke women worked as a Maid.

View Census Data for Ke | 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

  • Farmer
    43%
  • Manager
    29%
  • Cowboy
    29%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    100%

What Ke family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 11,000 census records available for the last name Ke. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ke census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Ke

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Ke. 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 Ke immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Ke. For the veterans among your Ke ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ke military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ke family history

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What is the average Ke lifespan?

Between 1968 and 2004, in the United States, Ke life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1978, and highest in 1986. The average life expectancy for Ke in 1968 was 47, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ke

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ke 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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