Gerlach Family History

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Gerlach Name Meaning

German and Dutch: from the personal name Gerlach, composed of the elements ger, gar ‘spear’ + lach, a cognate of Old High German leich ‘sport’, ‘play’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental adoption of the German name.

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


Similar surnames: Gerlich, Drach, Gerbracht, Gierach, Betlach, Redlich, Lerch, Gerich

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Gerlach Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Gerlach name?

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

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  • England & Wales

    40%

  • Germanic Europe

    19%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    13%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    8%

  • Norway

    3%

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Gerlach Family Origin

Where is the Gerlach family from?

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You can see how Gerlach families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gerlach family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gerlach families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 5 Gerlach families living in Ontario. This was about 56% of all the recorded Gerlach's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Gerlach families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gerlach surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Gerlach

Gerlach Family Occupations

What did your Gerlach ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Gerlach occupation in Canada was Black Smith. 100% of Gerlach's were Black Smiths.

View Census data for Gerlach | Data not to scale

  • Black Smith

    100%

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

Gerlach Historical Records

What Gerlach family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Gerlach. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gerlach 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 Gerlach

Passenger List

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Gerlach. 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 Gerlach immigration records

Draft Card

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Gerlach. For the veterans among your Gerlach ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gerlach military records

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Gerlach Life Expectancy

What is the average Gerlach lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Gerlach life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Gerlach in 1944 was 59, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gerlach

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gerlach 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 Gerlach Family Ancestors

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