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Scales Family History

Scales Surname Meaning

English: plural form of Scale naming a herdsman living and working on a summer pasture or a habitational name for someone from a place called Scales, mostly minor places in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Scholes is a dialect variant of the same name. (of Norman origin): habitational name either from Écalles-Alix (Seine-Maritime) Écalles (in Estouteville-Écalles Seine-Maritime) or from Escalles (Pas-de-Calais).

The earliest spellings of these names suggest a derivation from Latin scala, scalae (plural) ‘ladder, staircase, stile’ perhaps applied to a steep slope or path, although Old Norse skáli (‘herdsman's hut, shieling’, see Scale) has also been suggested for Écalles.

Challis may be a variant of the same name. The surname has also been established in southern Ireland (Limerick) since the 14th century.

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


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Where is the Scales family from?

You can see how Scales families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Scales family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Scales families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 346 Scales families living in London. This was about 21% of all the recorded Scales's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Scales families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Scales 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 Scales 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 Scales. 13% of Scales men worked as a General Labourer and 75% of Scales women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Scales were Farm Labourer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Scales | 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
    13%
  • Builders Labourer
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    6%
  • Farm Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Scales family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 92,000 census records available for the last name Scales. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Scales census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Scales

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Scales. 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 Scales immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Scales. For the veterans among your Scales ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Scales military records

You've only scratched the surface of Scales family history

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What is the average Scales lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Scales life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Scales in 1943 was 39, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Scales

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Scales 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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