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Meale Family History

Meale Surname Meaning

From Middle English mele ‘meal ground cereal’, perhaps for a maker or seller of meal. Compare Mealmaker and Millman.

From Middle English mele ‘sand-hill’ (Old Scandinavian melr) as found in such place-names as North Meols (Lancs), Ravensmeols in Formby (Lancs), which is recorded as Mele in 1086, and Great Meols (Cheshire).

Compare Meil. In Norfolk and Lancs, the name might alternatively be a variant of Male in one of its senses.

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Meale family from?

You can see how Meale families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Meale family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Meale families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 55 Meale families living in Norfolk. This was about 25% of all the recorded Meale's in United Kingdom. Norfolk had the highest population of Meale families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Meale 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 Meale ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Meale. 20% of Meale men worked as a General Labourer and 75% of Meale women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Meale were Railway Clerk and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Meale | 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

  • General Labourer
    20%
  • Retired
    14%
  • Cowman
    14%
  • Railway Clerk
    14%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Household Duties
    5%
  • Old Age Pensioner
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%

What Meale family records will you find?

Census Records

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

Search UK census records for Meale

Passenger Lists

There are 943 immigration records available for the last name Meale. 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 Meale immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 567 military records available for the last name Meale. For the veterans among your Meale ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Meale military records

You've only scratched the surface of Meale family history

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What is the average Meale lifespan?

Between 1966 and 2003, in the United States, Meale life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1999, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Meale in 1966 was 68, and 94 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Meale

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Meale 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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