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Kelman Family History

Kelman Surname Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from Kelman Hill in Cabrach (partly Aberdeenshire partly Banffshire). The placename is perhaps from Gaelic caol ‘narrow’ + monadh ‘hill muir upland grazing’.

Americanized form of German Kellmann (see Kellman).

Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the male personal name Kelman, a variant of Kalman.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Kelman family from?

You can see how Kelman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kelman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kelman families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1911 there were 34 Kelman families living in Ontario. This was about 69% of all the recorded Kelman's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Kelman families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kelman 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 Kelman ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Servant were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Kelman. 47% of Kelman men worked as a Farmer and 50% of Kelman women worked as a Servant. Some less common occupations for Americans named Kelman were Storekeeper and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Kelman | 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%
  • Labourer
    39%
  • Storekeeper
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servant
    50%
  • Housekeeper
    50%

What Kelman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Kelman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kelman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Kelman

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Kelman. 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 Kelman immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Kelman. For the veterans among your Kelman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kelman military records

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