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Best Name Meaning

English, northern Irish, and French: from Middle English, Old French beste ‘animal’, ‘beast’ (Latin bestia), applied either as a metonymic occupational name for someone who looked after beasts—a herdsman— or as a derogatory nickname for someone thought to resemble an animal, i.e. a violent, uncouth, or stupid man. It is unlikely that the name is derived from best, Old English betst, superlative of good. By far the most frequent spelling of the French surname is Beste, but it is likely that in North America this form has largely been assimilated to Best. German: from a short form of Sebastian.

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


Similar surnames: Bast, Belt, Beck, Beste, Bean, Bess, West, Test, Bost, Bolt

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Best Family Origin

Where is the Best family from?

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Best Family Occupations

What did your Best ancestors do for a living?

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

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  • Farmer

    37%

  • Student

    7%

  • Going To School

    5%

  • Labourer

    4%

In 1881, Farmer, Student and Going To School were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Best. The most common Best occupation in Canada was Farmer. 37% of Best's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Best family was Labourer.

Source: Census data for Best | Data not to scale

Best Historical Records

What Best family records will you find?

Census records can give you a fascinating window into the day-to-day lives of your Best ancestors - like hours worked per week, level of education, veteran status, employers, and more.

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Best Life Expectancy

What is the average Best lifespan?

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Best 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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United States

Between 1942 and 2004, Best life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Best in 1942 was 36, and 74 in 2004.

Source: Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Best

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