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Pelikan Family History

Pelikan Surname Meaning

German, Croatian, and Slovenian; Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian (Pelikán): from Middle High German pellikān, Croatian and Slovenian pelikan, Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian pelikán ‘pelican’ (from Late Latin pelicanus, Greek pelekan).

The pelican was regarded as a symbol of piety in Christian tradition: the female pelican was supposed, in medieval religious folklore, to feed her young with her own blood by plucking the feathers from her breast.

Consequently, the surname might be a nickname for a selfless person.

Alternatively, in some of these languages, this was a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a pelican.

Compare Pelican.

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


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Where is the Pelikan family from?

You can see how Pelikan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pelikan family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1880 and 1920. The most Pelikan families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Pelikan family living in Somerset. This was 100% of all the recorded Pelikan's in United Kingdom. Somerset had the highest population of Pelikan families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pelikan 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 Pelikan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Pelikan. 31% of Pelikan men worked as a Laborer and 34% of Pelikan women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Pelikan were Machinist and Teacher.

View Census Data for Pelikan | 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.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    31%
  • Farmer
    31%
  • Truck Driver
    9%
  • Machinist
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    34%
  • Housework
    23%
  • Proprietor
    23%
  • Teacher
    23%

What Pelikan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Pelikan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pelikan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Pelikan

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

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

View all Pelikan military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pelikan family history

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What is the average Pelikan lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Pelikan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1963, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Pelikan in 1963 was 64, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pelikan

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Pelikan 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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