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Bek Family History

Bek Surname Meaning

Jewish (Ashkenazic) and South German: variant of Beck ‘baker’. Croatian and Slovenian: occupational name for a baker from old South German beck ‘baker’ (see Beck compare Pek).

Czech: from a pet form of a personal name beginning with Be- such as Benedikt (see Benedict) or a surname of German origin (see 1 above).

Polish: nickname derived from bekać ‘to burp’, beczeć ‘to bleat’, ‘to sing sharp’, ‘to cry loudly’ or an adaptation of German Beck. This surname is also found among Rusyns (Lemkos).

Dutch: nickname for someone with a particular bek ‘mouth, jaw’. Dutch: topographic name for someone living near a beek ‘stream’. Compare Beck and Beek.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 白 (see Bai) and 麥 (see Mai) based on their Hokkien or Teochew pronunciations.

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


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Where is the Bek family from?

You can see how Bek families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bek family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Bek families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 9 Bek families living in Norfolk. This was about 35% of all the recorded Bek's in United Kingdom. Norfolk and 1 other county had the highest population of Bek families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bek 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 Bek ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bek. 24% of Bek men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Bek women worked as a Clerk.

View Census Data for Bek | 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
    24%
  • Farm Hand
    24%
  • Farmer
    18%
  • Printer
    12%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    100%

What Bek family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2,000 census records available for the last name Bek. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bek census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bek

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Bek. For the veterans among your Bek ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bek military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bek family history

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What is the average Bek lifespan?

Between 1959 and 2004, in the United States, Bek life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1975, and highest in 1965. The average life expectancy for Bek in 1959 was 65, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bek

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bek 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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