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Wehr Family History

Wehr Surname Meaning

German: topographic name for someone who lived by the defenses of a town or village, for example a wall, ditch, or fence. Middle High German wer or in the north lived by a dam or fish weir from Middle Low German wer(e).

North German: from a shortened form of the personal name Weder, composed of the ancient Germanic elements wid(u) ‘wood, forest’ + hari ‘army’.

German: habitational name from any of several places called Wehr, Wehre, or Wehren.

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


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Where is the Wehr family from?

You can see how Wehr families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wehr family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Wehr families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 6 Wehr families living in London. This was 100% of all the recorded Wehr's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Wehr families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wehr 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 Wehr ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Wehr. 15% of Wehr men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Wehr women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wehr were Machinist and Clerk.

View Census Data for Wehr | 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

  • Farmer
    15%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Machinist
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Housewife
    8%
  • Clerk
    8%

What Wehr family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 11,000 census records available for the last name Wehr. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wehr census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wehr

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Wehr. For the veterans among your Wehr ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wehr military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wehr family history

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What is the average Wehr lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Wehr life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Wehr in 1951 was 35, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wehr

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wehr 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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