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Palk Family History

Palk Surname Meaning

English (Devon): shortened form of Pollock with unrounding of the vowel to give Palk. Compare Polk and also Pulford.

Derivation from a shortened form of the Middle English personal names Palcok and Palkin (pet forms of Paul) is formally possible but no evidence has been found to substantiate this.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Palk family from?

You can see how Palk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Palk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Palk families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 282 Palk families living in Devon. This was about 65% of all the recorded Palk's in United Kingdom. Devon had the highest population of Palk families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Palk 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 Palk ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Police Constable and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Palk. 12% of Palk men worked as a Police Constable and 71% of Palk women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Palk were Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Palk | 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

  • Police Constable
    12%
  • General Labourer
    12%
  • Farmer
    12%
  • Labourer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Household Duties
    5%
  • Housewife
    4%

What Palk family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 20,000 census records available for the last name Palk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Palk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Palk

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Palk. 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 Palk immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Palk. For the veterans among your Palk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Palk military records

You've only scratched the surface of Palk family history

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What is the average Palk lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Palk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1970, and highest in 1984. The average life expectancy for Palk in 1962 was 76, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Palk

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Palk 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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