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Helm Family History

Helm Name Meaning

English (Lancashire): from Old English helm ‘protection covering’ (in later northern English dialects ‘cattle shelter barn’). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire). English: variant of Elm with prosthetic H-. German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a maker of helmets from Middle High German Middle Dutch helm. German and Dutch: from a medieval personal name a short form of any of various compound names formed with helm ‘helmet’. Compare e.g. Helmbrecht . Dutch (Van der Helm): from one of several houses so named because of a helmet depicted on a signboard. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Helm ‘helmet’.

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


Similar surnames: Holm, Hell, Held, Heim, Elm, Palm, Hamm, Kelm, Belt, Hole

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Where is the Helm family from?

You can see how Helm families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Helm family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Helm families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 111 Helm families living in Ontario. This was about 63% of all the recorded Helm's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Helm families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Helm surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Helm ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Helm. 71% of Helm men worked as a Farmer and 40% of Helm women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Helm were Labourer and Farmer. .

View Census Data for Helm | 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
    71%
  • Laborer
    10%
  • Student
    7%
  • Labourer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    40%
  • Servant
    30%
  • Farmer
    30%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Helm family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 100,000 census records available for the last name Helm. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Helm census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Helm

Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Helm. 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 28,000 military records available for the last name Helm. For the veterans among your Helm ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Helm lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Helm life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Helm in 1942 was 49, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Helm

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