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Offen Family History

Offen Surname Meaning

German: variant of Off. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German oven German Ofen ‘oven’, a metonymic occupational name for a baker or as a German name for someone who had charge of the communal village oven and was empowered to exact payment in kind for its use.

It may also be a topographic name for someone who lived near a kiln or in an area or field named with this word. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from Buda in Hungary, now part of Budapest, known in Middle High German as Ofen.

English (Kent and Sussex): probably a habitational name from Offham, Kent, which originally denoted ‘Offa's homestead’ (Old English personal name Offa + Old English hām), or from Offham in South Stoke, Sussex, which either had the same sense or denoted ‘Offa's land in a river bend’ (Old English hamm).

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


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Where is the Offen family from?

You can see how Offen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Offen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Offen families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 161 Offen families living in Kent. This was about 45% of all the recorded Offen's in United Kingdom. Kent had the highest population of Offen families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Offen 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 Offen 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 Offen. 20% of Offen men worked as a General Labourer and 77% of Offen women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Offen were Licensed Victualler and Housewife.

View Census Data for Offen | 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%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Bricklayer
    14%
  • Licensed Victualler
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    77%
  • Incapacitated
    7%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    5%
  • Housewife
    4%

What Offen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Offen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Offen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Offen

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Offen. 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 Offen immigration records

Draft Cards

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

View all Offen military records

You've only scratched the surface of Offen family history

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What is the average Offen lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Offen life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1984, and highest in 1994. The average life expectancy for Offen in 1962 was 72, and 53 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Offen

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Offen 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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