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Dresser Family History

Dresser Surname Meaning

German: eastern variant of Drescher.

English (Durham and Yorkshire): occupational name for someone who dressed or finished cloth from Middle English dresser dress(o)ur ‘director guide; dresser or finisher of textiles etc.’

Compare Fuller.

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


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Dresser family from?

You can see how Dresser families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dresser family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dresser families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 169 Dresser families living in Yorkshire. This was about 49% of all the recorded Dresser's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Dresser families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dresser 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 Dresser 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 Dresser. 27% of Dresser men worked as a General Labourer and 84% of Dresser women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dresser were Master Tailor and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Dresser | 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
    27%
  • Colliery Hewer
    20%
  • Tailor (working)
    14%
  • Master Tailor
    14%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    84%
  • Unpaid Domestic Du
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    3%
  • Housekeeper
    3%

What Dresser family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 32,000 census records available for the last name Dresser. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dresser census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dresser

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Dresser. 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 Dresser immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Dresser. For the veterans among your Dresser ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dresser military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dresser family history

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What is the average Dresser lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Dresser life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Dresser in 1950 was 56, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dresser

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dresser 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 Dresser family tree

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