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Peel Family History

Peel Surname Meaning

English (mainly northern): topographic name for someone who lived or worked at a small castle, a wooden fort, or a house defended by a palisade (Middle English and Old French pel, piel ‘stake, pallisade’), or a habitational name from a place so named.

English (mainly northern): variant of Pell.

English (mainly northern): nickname from Middle English and Old French pel ‘stake’, perhaps for a tall thin person.

Dutch: habitational name from any of the places so called in North Brabant (where there is also a district called De Peel) and Dutch Limburg, from De Peel in Ravels, Antwerp province, or from Pedele in Kaggevinne and in Adorp, Brabant.

German: possibly a habitational name from a lost or unidentified placename. Perhaps an altered form of German Piel or Piehl.

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


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Where is the Peel family from?

You can see how Peel families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Peel family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Peel families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,857 Peel families living in Yorkshire. This was about 35% of all the recorded Peel's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Peel families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Peel 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 Peel 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 Peel. 10% of Peel men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Peel women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Peel were Farmer and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Peel | 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
    10%
  • Farm Labourer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Farmer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

What Peel family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 149,000 census records available for the last name Peel. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Peel census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Peel

Passenger Lists

There are 60,000 immigration records available for the last name Peel. 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 Peel immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Peel. For the veterans among your Peel ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Peel military records

You've only scratched the surface of Peel family history

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What is the average Peel lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Peel life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Peel in 1940 was 44, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Peel

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Peel 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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