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Hale Family History

Hale Name Meaning

English: topographic name for someone who lived in a (usually remote) nook or corner of land from Old English and Middle English hale dative of h(e)alh ‘nook hollow’ or a habitational name from a place so named such as Hale in Cheshire Hampshire Lancashire Lincolnshire Holme Hale (Norfolk) Hale Street (Kent) and Haile (Cumberland). In northern England the word often has a specialized meaning denoting a piece of flat alluvial land by the side of a river typically one deposited in a bend. See Haugh . In southeastern England it often referred to a patch of dry land in a fen. In some cases the surname may be a habitational name from any of several places in England named with this fossilized inflected form which would originally have been preceded by a preposition e.g. in the hale or at the hale. This surname is also established in south Wales. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Céile (see McHale ). Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Halle . Americanized form of Norwegian Hole .

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


Similar surnames: Dale, Halse, Gale, Hall, Hare, Sale, Hole, Wale, Harle, Hain

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Where is the Hale family from?

You can see how Hale families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hale family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hale families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,823 Hale families living in London. This was about 17% of all the recorded Hale's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Hale families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hale surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Hale 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 Hale. 7% of Hale men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Hale women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Hale were Bricklayer and Incapacitated. .

View Census Data for Hale | 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
    7%
  • Gardener
    3%
  • Colliery Hewer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    65%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Hale family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 556,000 census records available for the last name Hale. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hale census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hale

Passenger Lists

There are 39,000 immigration records available for the last name Hale. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 96,000 military records available for the last name Hale. For the veterans among your Hale ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Hale lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Hale life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Hale in 1941 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hale

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