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Steele Family History

Steele Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English stel(e) ‘steel’ perhaps used for someone considered as hard and durable as steel or for a foundry worker.

English: variant of Stile.

Scottish: habitational name from one or more of the places called Steel(e) or Steill in Ayrshire, Berwickshire, and Dumfriesshire from Scots steel ‘steep bank, spur of a ridge’.

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Stahl or Stahle and Swedish Ståhl, Stål, or Ståhle, all meaning ‘steel’.

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


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Where is the Steele family from?

You can see how Steele families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Steele family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Steele families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 823 Steele families living in Ontario. This was about 46% of all the recorded Steele's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Steele families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Steele 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 Steele ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Steele. 36% of Steele men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Steele women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Steele were Laborer and Income.

View Census Data for Steele | 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
    36%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Carpenter
    5%
  • Laborer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    12%
  • Stenographer
    11%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Income
    10%

What Steele family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 486,000 census records available for the last name Steele. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Steele census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Steele

Passenger Lists

There are 58,000 immigration records available for the last name Steele. 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 Steele immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 95,000 military records available for the last name Steele. For the veterans among your Steele ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Steele military records

You've only scratched the surface of Steele family history

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What is the average Steele lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Steele life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Steele in 1941 was 56, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Steele

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Steele 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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