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Bester Family History

Bester Surname Meaning

English: occupational name for someone who looked after animals such as a herdsman from Middle English bestere apparently a derivative of Middle English beste ‘beast’ (see Best).

German: variant of Beste.

Slovenian (Bešter): probably a variant of Vester 3 from a shortened form of the personal name Silvester.

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


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Where is the Bester family from?

You can see how Bester families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bester family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bester families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 38 Bester families living in Middlesex. This was about 15% of all the recorded Bester's in United Kingdom. Middlesex had the highest population of Bester families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bester 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 Bester ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Telecommunication and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bester. 34% of Bester men worked as a Telecommunication and 82% of Bester women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bester were General Labourer Heavy Worker and Household Duties.

View Census Data for Bester | 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

  • Telecommunication
    34%
  • Agricultural Labourer Heavy Worker
    34%
  • General Labourer Heavy Worker
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    82%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Domestic Servant
    4%
  • Household Duties
    4%

What Bester family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Bester. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bester census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bester

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

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

View all Bester military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bester family history

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What is the average Bester lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Bester life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Bester in 1954 was 32, and 67 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bester

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bester 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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