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Breen Family History

Breen Surname Meaning

Irish: either a shortened form of McBreen or an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Braoin ‘descendant of Braon’ a byname meaning ‘moisture drop’.

Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Bre(d)en from Old Norse breithr ‘wide’ + -en from vin ‘meadow’.

In some cases also an Americanized form of Breton Briand.

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


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Where is the Breen family from?

You can see how Breen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Breen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Breen families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 264 Breen families living in Lancashire. This was about 32% of all the recorded Breen's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Breen families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Breen 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 Breen 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 Breen. 28% of Breen men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Breen women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Breen were Painter and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Breen | 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
    28%
  • Builders Labourer
    11%
  • House Painter
    6%
  • Painter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%

What Breen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 122,000 census records available for the last name Breen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Breen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Breen

Passenger Lists

There are 31,000 immigration records available for the last name Breen. 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 Breen immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 18,000 military records available for the last name Breen. For the veterans among your Breen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Breen military records

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