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Handel Family History

Handel Surname Meaning

German and Jewish (also Händel): from a pet form of the personal name Hans. Sometimes this can be from a pet form of Heinrich e.g. Heindl Haindl.

Compare Haendel. Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a merchant.

German Handel ‘trade commerce’.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Handel family from?

You can see how Handel families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Handel family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Handel families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 41 Handel families living in London. This was about 37% of all the recorded Handel's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Handel families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Handel 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 Handel ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Music Engraver and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Handel. 100% of Handel men worked as a Music Engraver and 79% of Handel women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Handel | 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

  • Music Engraver
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    79%
  • Housewife
    9%
  • Cook Ac 2
    5%
  • Cook
    5%

What Handel family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 14,000 census records available for the last name Handel. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Handel census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Handel

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Handel. For the veterans among your Handel ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Handel military records

You've only scratched the surface of Handel family history

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What is the average Handel lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Handel life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Handel in 1949 was 56, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Handel

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Handel 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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