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Kress Family History

Kress Surname Meaning

German: from Middle High German kresse ‘gudgeon’ a minor fish hence a nickname for a poor person.

It is an unflattering nickname for a greedy person from Old High German krāssig grātag ‘greedy’.

This term may also derive from a vernacular pet form of the personal name Christian or, in some cases, a vernacular short form of the personal name Erasmus.

Compare Gressel (of Slavic origin): it comes from a Germanized form of Křes, an Old Czech personal name.

This Old Czech name is a short form of names beginning with Křes-, e.g., Křesťan, which is an equivalent of Christian.

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


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Where is the Kress family from?

You can see how Kress families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kress family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kress families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 38 Kress families living in Ontario. This was about 95% of all the recorded Kress's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Kress families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kress 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 Kress ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Kress. 57% of Kress men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Kress | 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
    57%
  • Labourer
    19%
  • Manager
    13%
  • Income
    13%

What Kress family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Kress. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kress census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Kress

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Kress. 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 Kress immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Kress. For the veterans among your Kress ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kress military records

You've only scratched the surface of Kress family history

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What is the average Kress lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Kress life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Kress in 1946 was 43, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kress

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kress 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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