Schiff Family History

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Schiff Name Meaning

German: from Middle High German schif ‘ship’, applied as a metonymic occupational name for a sailor, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a ship. Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name or habitational name (see 1 above), from German Schiff ‘ship’.

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


Similar surnames: Schaff, Schild, Schuff, Schiffer, Schaaf, Shiff, Scherf, Scheff

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Schiff Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Schiff name?

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

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  • European Jewish

    46%

  • England & Wales

    23%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    8%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • France

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Schiff Family Origin

Where is the Schiff family from?

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You can see how Schiff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Schiff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Schiff families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 13 Schiff families living in Ontario. This was 100% of all the recorded Schiff's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Schiff families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Schiff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Schiff

Schiff Family Occupations

What did your Schiff ancestors do for a living?

In 1880, the most common Schiff occupation in the USA was Farmer. 7% of Schiff's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Schiff family was Dry Goods. Farmer, Keeping House and Salesman were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Schiff.

View Census data for Schiff | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    7%

  • Keeping House

    6%

  • Salesman

    6%

  • Dry Goods

    4%

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

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

Schiff Historical Records

What Schiff family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 16,000 census records available for the last name Schiff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Schiff 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 Schiff

Passenger List

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

Draft Card

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Schiff. For the veterans among your Schiff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Schiff military records

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Schiff Life Expectancy

What is the average Schiff lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Schiff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Schiff in 1944 was 35, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Schiff

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

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