Bedford Family History

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Bedford Name Meaning

English: habitational name from the county seat of Bedfordshire, or a smaller place of the same name in Lancashire. Both are named with the Old English personal name Beda + Old English ford ‘ford’. The name is now very common in Yorkshire as well as Bedfordshire.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Ledford, Belford, Elford, Binford, Bodiford, Medford, Beckford

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Bedford Family Origin

Where is the Bedford family from?

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You can see how Bedford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bedford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bedford families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 2,568 Bedford families living in Yorkshire. This was about 34% of all the recorded Bedford's in the UK. Yorkshire had the highest population of Bedford families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bedford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Bedford

Bedford Family Occupations

What did your Bedford ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the UK named Bedford. 2% of Bedford men worked as a General Labourer and 49% of Bedford women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bedford were Farmer and Unpaid Domestic

View Census data for Bedford | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

  • General Labourer
    2%
  • Bricklayer
    1%
  • Carpenter
    1%
  • Farmer
    1%

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    49%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Bedford Historical Records

What Bedford family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 226,000 census records available for the last name Bedford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bedford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Bedford

Passenger List

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Bedford. 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 Bedford immigration records

Draft Card

There are 19,000 military records available for the last name Bedford. For the veterans among your Bedford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bedford military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bedford family history.

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Bedford Life Expectancy

What is the average Bedford lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Bedford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Bedford in 1944 was 21, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bedford

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bedford 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.

Famous Bedford Family Ancestors

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