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Bales Family History

Bales Surname Meaning

English: either a variant of Bale with excrescent -s or a variant of Bayliss. English: habitational name from Bayles in Alston Cumbria.

Slovak and Czech (Báleš rarely Baleš): from a pet form of Bal, a short form of the personal name Baltazar (Slovak Baltazár).

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


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Where is the Bales family from?

You can see how Bales families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bales family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bales families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 407 Bales families living in Norfolk. This was about 24% of all the recorded Bales's in United Kingdom. Norfolk had the highest population of Bales families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bales 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 Bales 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 Bales. 16% of Bales men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Bales women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bales were Farm Labourer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Bales | 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
    16%
  • Market Gardener
    8%
  • Incapacitated
    7%
  • Farm Labourer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Household Duties
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Bales family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 93,000 census records available for the last name Bales. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bales census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bales

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Bales. 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 Bales immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Bales. For the veterans among your Bales ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bales military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bales family history

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What is the average Bales lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Bales life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Bales in 1940 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bales

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bales 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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