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Hand Family History

Hand Surname Meaning

English, German, and Dutch: nickname for someone with a peculiarity or deformity of the hand or perhaps to skill in its use from Middle English hond(e), hand(e), Middle High German hant, found in such appellations as Johan metter hant (Rijkhoven 1284), Liebhard mit der Hand (Augsburg 1383).

Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from German Hand ‘hand’ (see 1 above).

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fhlaithimh (see Guthrie) as a result of association with the Gaelic word lámh ‘hand’. It is used as an English equivalent for several other names of Gaelic origin too such as Claffey, Glavin, and McClave.

English: perhaps from a Middle English personal name Hand, a possible rhyming pet form of Randall, though it could also be a variant of Han (a pet form of Johan, John, and of Hanry, Henry) with excrescent -d.

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


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Where is the Hand family from?

You can see how Hand families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hand family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hand families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 616 Hand families living in Staffordshire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Hand's in United Kingdom. Staffordshire had the highest population of Hand families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hand 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 Hand 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 Hand. 10% of Hand men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Hand women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hand were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Hand | 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
    10%
  • Joiner
    4%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Hand family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 209,000 census records available for the last name Hand. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hand census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hand

Passenger Lists

There are 18,000 immigration records available for the last name Hand. 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 Hand immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 62,000 military records available for the last name Hand. For the veterans among your Hand ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hand military records

You've only scratched the surface of Hand family history

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What is the average Hand lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hand life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Hand in 1940 was 57, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hand

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hand 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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