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Bailiff Family History

Bailiff Surname Meaning

English: occupational name for an officer of a court of justice from Middle English bailli baillif ‘manager administrator’ (Old French bailli(s) baillif). The term could denote the king's officer in a county hundred town castle or forest or an elected town officer a magistrate an officer of a court serving warrants and enforcing judgments.

In Middle English a bailiff often denoted the agent of a lord in managing a manor collecting rents etc. but in the early modern period the term gradually became specialized as denoting an officer of justice under a sheriff who executes writs and processes distraints and arrests.

Compare the variant Bayliff Bayliss and also Bailey.

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


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Where is the Bailiff family from?

You can see how Bailiff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bailiff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bailiff families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 53 Bailiff families living in Cumberland. This was about 41% of all the recorded Bailiff's in United Kingdom. Cumberland had the highest population of Bailiff families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bailiff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bailiff ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Colliery Hewer Heavy Worker and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bailiff. 34% of Bailiff men worked as a Colliery Hewer Heavy Worker and 95% of Bailiff women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bailiff were Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Dut.

View Census Data for Bailiff | 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

  • Colliery Hewer Heavy Worker
    34%
  • General Labourer
    34%
  • Builders Labourer
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    95%
  • Unpaid Domestic Dut
    6%

What Bailiff family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Bailiff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bailiff census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bailiff

Passenger Lists

There are 341 immigration records available for the last name Bailiff. 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 Bailiff immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 924 military records available for the last name Bailiff. For the veterans among your Bailiff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bailiff military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bailiff family history

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What is the average Bailiff lifespan?

Between 1959 and 2004, in the United States, Bailiff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Bailiff in 1959 was 33, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bailiff

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bailiff 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.

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