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Boer Family History

Boer Surname Meaning

Dutch and North German: occupational name for a farmer or landsman from Dutch boer. Middle Low German būr ‘dweller, citizen, neighbor, farmer’ (see Bauer).

Compare De Boer and Den Boer.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Boer family from?

You can see how Boer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Boer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Boer families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 18 Boer families living in Devon. This was about 37% of all the recorded Boer's in United Kingdom. Devon had the highest population of Boer families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Boer 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 Boer ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Boer. 89% of Boer women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Boer | 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
    89%
  • Private Means
    12%

What Boer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Boer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Boer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Boer

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Boer. 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 Boer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Boer. For the veterans among your Boer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Boer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Boer family history

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What is the average Boer lifespan?

Between 1960 and 2004, in the United States, Boer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Boer in 1960 was 40, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Boer

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Boer 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Boer family tree

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