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Pless Family History

Pless Surname Meaning

East German: habitational name from any of various places called with (Old) Slavic pleso ‘swamp’ for example Pless in Upper Silesia Plessa on the Elster River.

German: variant of Bless.

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


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Where is the Pless family from?

You can see how Pless families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pless family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Pless families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there was 1 Pless family living in Gloucestershire. This was 100% of all the recorded Pless's in United Kingdom. Gloucestershire had the highest population of Pless families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pless 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 Pless ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Pless. 27% of Pless men worked as a Laborer and 11% of Pless women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Pless were Farm Laborer and Maid.

View Census Data for Pless | 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.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    27%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Farm Laborer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    11%
  • Saleslady
    11%
  • Cook
    11%
  • Maid
    11%

What Pless family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Pless. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pless census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Pless

Passenger Lists

There are 859 immigration records available for the last name Pless. 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 Pless immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Pless. For the veterans among your Pless ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pless military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pless family history

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What is the average Pless lifespan?

Between 1952 and 2004, in the United States, Pless life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1965. The average life expectancy for Pless in 1952 was 29, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pless

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

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