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Beam Family History

Beam Surname Meaning

English: from Middle English bem ‘tree; beam post piece of timber’ (Old English bēam) a term with various applications.

It denoted the beam of a loom and was therefore in some cases a metonymic occupational name for a weaver.

In others it was a topographic name denoting someone who lived by a post or tree or by a footbridge made from a tree trunk as in Beam Bridge in Dagenham Essex.

Americanized form of German Boehm or sometimes of Baum.

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


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Where is the Beam family from?

You can see how Beam families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Beam family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Beam families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 17 Beam families living in Yorkshire. This was about 20% of all the recorded Beam's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Beam families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Beam 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 Beam ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Beam. 87% of Beam women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Beam | 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 Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    87%
  • Housekeeper
    14%

What Beam family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 63,000 census records available for the last name Beam. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Beam census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Beam

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Beam. 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 Beam immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 15,000 military records available for the last name Beam. For the veterans among your Beam ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Beam military records

You've only scratched the surface of Beam family history

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What is the average Beam lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Beam life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1983. The average life expectancy for Beam in 1942 was 34, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Beam

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Beam 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Beam family tree

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