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Zehner Family History

Zehner Surname Meaning

German: occupational name for an official responsible for collecting on behalf of the lord of the manor tithes of agricultural produce owed as rent. The more prosperous tenants had to contribute wine and grain those with smaller holdings fruit vegetables milk cheese beer and poultry.

The Middle High German term for this official was zehendære, a derivative of zehende ‘tenth part, tithe’ (Old High German zehanto, from zehan ‘ten’).

Compare Zenor.

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


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Where is the Zehner family from?

You can see how Zehner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Zehner family name was found in the USA between 1840 and 1920. The most Zehner families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 3 Zehner families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 75% of all the recorded Zehner's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Zehner families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Zehner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Zehner ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Zehner. 23% of Zehner men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Zehner women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Zehner were Truck Driver and Housewife.

View Census Data for Zehner | 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
    23%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    12%
  • Clerk
    11%
  • Home Work
    10%
  • Housewife
    8%

What Zehner family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Zehner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Zehner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Zehner

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Zehner. For the veterans among your Zehner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Zehner military records

You've only scratched the surface of Zehner family history

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What is the average Zehner lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Zehner life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Zehner in 1942 was 53, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Zehner

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Zehner 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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