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Bas Family History

Bas Surname Meaning

Catalan: habitational name from a place so named in the district of La Garrotxa, Catalonia. Basque: topographic name for someone who lived by a wood from baso ‘wood, forest’. Polish Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) and Ukrainian: metonymic occupational name for a musician from Polish, Yiddish, and Ukrainian (respectively) bas ‘bass viol, violoncello’. For Jews, the surname can come from any of the three languages in question as well as from German Baß.

French: from Old French bas(se) ‘short, of low stature’ (from Latin bassus ‘thickset’, i.e., wide as opposed to tall), a descriptive nickname for a short person. Compare Lebas. Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Sebastiaan (see Sebastian).

Slovenian (Baš): from an old short form of the personal name Sebastjan (see Sebastian). Compare Bash.

Turkish (Baş): ornamental name, nickname, or status name from baş ‘head’, also ‘chief’. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) and Ukrainian: nickname for someone with a deep voice from Ukrainian bas ‘deep voice’. For Jews, the surname can also come from the Yiddish word with the identical meaning.

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


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Where is the Bas family from?

You can see how Bas families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bas family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bas families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 14 Bas families living in London. This was about 34% of all the recorded Bas's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Bas families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bas 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 Bas ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Bas. 67% of Bas women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Bas | 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 Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Incapacitated
    20%
  • Private Means
    14%

What Bas family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 6,000 census records available for the last name Bas. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bas census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bas

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Bas. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Bas. For the veterans among your Bas ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Bas lifespan?

Between 1967 and 2004, in the United States, Bas life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1969, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Bas in 1967 was 70, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bas

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bas 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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