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Beal Family History

Beal Name Meaning

English (of Norman origin): from Old French bel(e) ‘fair’, ‘lovely’ (see Beau), either a nickname for a handsome man or a metronymic from this word used as a female personal name. English: habitational name from places so named in Northumberland and West Yorkshire. The former of these (Behil in early records) comes from Old English beo ‘bee’ + hyll ‘hill’; the latter (Begale in Domesday Book) is from Old English beag ‘ring’, here probably used in the sense ‘river bend’, or an unattested personal name Beaga derived from this word + halh ‘nook’, ‘recess’. French (Béal): topographic name for someone who lived by a mill race, from the Lyonnaise dialect term béal, bezale, bedale (of Gaulish origin). Americanized spelling of German Biehl or Bühl (see Buehl).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Bell, Bean, Bear, Real, Beck, Bel, Seal, Beam, Veal, Deal

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Beal family from?

You can see how Beal families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Beal family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Beal families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 227 Beal families living in Ontario. This was about 53% of all the recorded Beal's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Beal families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Beal 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 Beal ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the CA named Beal. 40% of Beal men worked as a Farmer and 23% of Beal women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Beal were Clerk and At Home.

View Census data for Beal | 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
    40%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Clerk
    6%

Top Female Occupations in 1921

  • Housekeeper
    23%
  • Teacher
    14%
  • Income
    14%
  • At Home
    14%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Beal family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 148,000 census records available for the last name Beal. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Beal census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Beal

Passenger Lists

There are 23,000 immigration records available for the last name Beal. 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 Beal immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 22,000 military records available for the last name Beal. For the veterans among your Beal ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Beal military records

You've only scratched the surface of Beal family history.

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What is the average Beal lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Beal life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Beal in 1941 was 30, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Beal

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