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Breen Family History

Breen Name Meaning

Irish: either a shortened form of McBreen or an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Braoin ‘descendant of Braon’ a byname meaning ‘moisture drop’. Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Bre(d)en from Old Norse breithr ‘wide’ + -en from vin ‘meadow’. In some cases also an Americanized form of Breton Briand .

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


Similar surnames: Bree, Green, Boreen, Reen, Brew, Breden, Boden, Bowen, Wren, Bean

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Breen family from?

You can see how Breen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Breen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Breen families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 350 Breen families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Breen's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Breen families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Breen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Breen ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Breen. 32% of Breen men worked as a Farmer and 18% of Breen women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Breen were Farmers Son and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Breen | 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
    32%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Farmers Son
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    18%
  • Bookkeeper
    18%
  • Clerk
    13%
  • Teacher
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Breen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 122,000 census records available for the last name Breen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Breen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Breen

Passenger Lists

There are 31,000 immigration records available for the last name Breen. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 18,000 military records available for the last name Breen. For the veterans among your Breen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Breen military records

You've only scratched the surface of Breen family history

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What is the average Breen lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Breen life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Breen in 1945 was 30, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Breen

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