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Bach Family History

Bach Name Meaning

German: topographic name for someone who lived by a stream Middle High German bach ‘stream’. This surname is also found in some other European countries most notably in Denmark and France (Alsace and Lorraine) but also in e.g. the Netherlands Czechia (see also 5 below) and Croatia. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Bach ‘stream creek’. English: topographic name for someone who lived by a stream Middle English bach(e) bech(e) ‘stream’ (Old English bæce). Welsh: nickname a distinguishing epithet from Welsh bach ‘little small’. Polish Czech and Slovak: from the personal name Bach a pet form of Bartholomaeus (Polish Bartłomiej Czech Bartoloměj Slovak Bartolomej; see Bartholomew ) or in some cases Baltazar or Sebastian . Americanized form of Norwegian Bakk or Bakke .7: Germanized or Americanized form of Slovenian Bah .8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 白 and 柏 possibly based on their Cantonese pronunciation see Bai 1 and 9: Vietnamese (Bạch): from the Chinese surname 白 see Bai

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


Similar surnames: Back, Beach, Mach, Buch, Bache, Brach, Pach, Hach, Lach, Bacha

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Bach family from?

You can see how Bach families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bach family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bach families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 49 Bach families living in Warwickshire. This was about 14% of all the recorded Bach's in United Kingdom. Warwickshire had the highest population of Bach families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bach surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bach ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Master Tailor and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bach. 37% of Bach men worked as a Master Tailor and 64% of Bach women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bach were Farmer Heavy Work and Household Duties. .

View Census Data for Bach | 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 1939

  • Master Tailor
    37%
  • Provision Manager
    28%
  • General Labourer
    19%
  • Farmer Heavy Work
    19%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Private Means
    7%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • Household Duties
    4%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bach family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 60,000 census records available for the last name Bach. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bach census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bach

Passenger Lists

There are 19,000 immigration records available for the last name Bach. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bach immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Bach. For the veterans among your Bach ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Bach lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Bach life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1992. The average life expectancy for Bach in 1940 was 38, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bach

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