Behan Family History

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Behan Name Meaning

Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Beachain ‘descendant of Beachán’, a personal name from a diminutive of beach ‘bee’. Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal name Beathán, a derivative of beatha ‘life’ (see Bean 3).

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


Similar surnames: Bean, Bohan, Belan, Behn, Boran, Benn, Teahan, Deehan, Ban, Bern

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Behan Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Behan name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Behan. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • Ireland & Scotland

    47%

  • England & Wales

    28%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    5%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • France

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Behan Family Origin

Where is the Behan family from?

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You can see how Behan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Behan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Behan families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 59 Behan families living in Ontario. This was about 52% of all the recorded Behan's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Behan families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Behan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Behan

Behan Family Occupations

What did your Behan ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Laborer and Marchand were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Behan. A less common occupation for the Behan family was Apprenti. The most common Behan occupation in Canada was Farmer. 30% of Behan's were Farmers.

View Census data for Behan | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    30%

  • Laborer

    11%

  • Marchand

    7%

  • Apprenti

    4%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Behan ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Behan Historical Records

What Behan family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 25,000 census records available for the last name Behan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Behan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Behan

Passenger List

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

Draft Card

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Behan. For the veterans among your Behan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Behan military records

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Behan Life Expectancy

What is the average Behan lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Behan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Behan in 1946 was 50, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Behan

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Behan 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.

Famous Behan Family Ancestors

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