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Helm Family History

Helm Surname Meaning

English (Lancashire): from Old English helm ‘protection covering’ (in later northern English dialects ‘cattle shelter barn’). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire).

English: variant of Elm with prosthetic H-. German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a maker of helmets from Middle High German Middle Dutch helm.

German and Dutch: from a medieval personal name a short form of any of various compound names formed with helm ‘helmet’. Compare e.g. Helmbrecht.

Dutch (Van der Helm): from one of several houses so named because of a helmet depicted on a signboard.

Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Helm ‘helmet’.

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


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Where is the Helm family from?

You can see how Helm families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Helm family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Helm families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 667 Helm families living in Lancashire. This was about 61% of all the recorded Helm's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Helm families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Helm 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 Helm 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 Helm. 15% of Helm men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Helm women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Helm were Farmer and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Helm | 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
    15%
  • Retired
    7%
  • Cotton Weaver
    7%
  • Farmer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Cotton Weaver
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

What Helm family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 100,000 census records available for the last name Helm. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Helm census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Helm

Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Helm. 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 Helm immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 28,000 military records available for the last name Helm. For the veterans among your Helm ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Helm military records

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