Palen Family History

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Palen Name Meaning

Variant of North German Pahlen, a topographic name from Middle Low German pal ‘post’, ‘stake’, ‘boundary marker’. French: variant of Palin. Americanized spelling of Belgian Peelen, a habitational name for someone from either of two places called Peel, in North Brabant and Limburg.

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


Similar surnames: Kalen, Paley, Galen, Papen, Page, Sales, Maren, Polen, Palin, Payer

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Palen Family Origin

Where is the Palen family from?

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You can see how Palen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Palen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Palen families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 47 Palen families living in Ontario. This was about 62% of all the recorded Palen's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Palen families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Palen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Palen

Palen Family Occupations

What did your Palen ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, School, Farmer and Carpenter were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Palen. The most common Palen occupation in Canada was School. 17% of Palen's were Schools. A less common occupation for the Palen family was Teamster.

View Census data for Palen | Data not to scale

  • School

    17%

  • Farmer

    13%

  • Carpenter

    9%

  • Teamster

    9%

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

Palen Historical Records

What Palen family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Palen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Palen 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 Palen

Passenger List

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Palen. 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 Palen immigration records

Draft Card

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Palen. For the veterans among your Palen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Palen military records

You've only scratched the surface of Palen family history.

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Palen Life Expectancy

What is the average Palen lifespan?

Between 1947 and 2004, in the United States, Palen life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Palen in 1947 was 40, and 68 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Palen

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

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