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Bender Family History

Bender Surname Meaning

German: occupational name for a cooper, a short form of Fassbender. Compare Bainter and Painter.

English (London): metonymic occupational name for an archer or bow maker from Middle English bender, an agent derivative of benden ‘to bend’ (Old English bendan). Compare Benbow.

Hungarian: from bender ‘curl’, hence a nickname for someone with curly hair.

Croatian: nickname or metonymic occupational name from bender, a term denoting a musical instrument similar to a tambourine.

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from the town of Bendery (now in Moldova). Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Bander.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Bender family from?

You can see how Bender families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bender family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bender families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 155 Bender families living in London. This was about 58% of all the recorded Bender's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Bender families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bender 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 Bender ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Waterproof Garment Maker and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bender. 15% of Bender men worked as a Waterproof Garment Maker and 81% of Bender women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bender were Sheet Metal Worker and Housewife.

View Census Data for Bender | 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

  • Waterproof Garment Maker
    15%
  • Hebrew Teacher Incapacitated
    10%
  • Solicitor
    10%
  • Sheet Metal Worker
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    81%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Millinery Machinist
    4%
  • Housewife
    4%

What Bender family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 182,000 census records available for the last name Bender. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bender census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bender

Passenger Lists

There are 24,000 immigration records available for the last name Bender. 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 Bender immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 44,000 military records available for the last name Bender. For the veterans among your Bender ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bender military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bender family history

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What is the average Bender lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Bender life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Bender in 1944 was 25, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bender

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bender 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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