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Caesar Family History

Caesar Surname Meaning

English African American West Indian Guyanese and African (mainly Ghana): from a personal name or nickname based on the Roman surname of Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BC) Roman general and father (by adoption) of Augustus the first Roman Emperor. It was associated by folk etymology in classical times with Latin caesaries ‘head of hair’ but is probably of Etruscan origin.

After the spectacular success of Julius Caesar the name was adopted by his imperial successors and eventually came to be taken as a generic title. It gave rise to vocabulary words meaning ‘emperor’ or ‘ruler’ in German (Kaiser) Russian (tsar) Czech (císař) Slovak (cisár) Slovenian (cesar) Hungarian (császár) Arabic (qayṣar) and other languages.

As an English surname it is derived from the name Cesar, rare in Middle English but found occasionally both as a personal name and as a surname. In North America it can also be an Americanized form of cognates from other languages, for example Italian Cesare, Czech Císař, Hungarian Császár, Slovenian Cesar and Časar.

German: humanistic name re-translation into Latin of German Kaiser.

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


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Where is the Caesar family from?

You can see how Caesar families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Caesar family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Caesar families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 40 Caesar families living in Surrey. This was about 25% of all the recorded Caesar's in United Kingdom. Surrey had the highest population of Caesar families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Caesar surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Caesar 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 Caesar. 24% of Caesar men worked as a General Labourer and 93% of Caesar women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Caesar were Colliery Labourer Below and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Caesar | 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
    24%
  • Incapacitated
    16%
  • Bricklayer
    16%
  • Colliery Labourer Below
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    93%
  • Housekeeper
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%

What Caesar family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Caesar. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Caesar census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Caesar

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Caesar. For the veterans among your Caesar ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Caesar military records

You've only scratched the surface of Caesar family history

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What is the average Caesar lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Caesar life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Caesar in 1954 was 68, and 76 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Caesar 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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