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Leer Family History

Leer Name Meaning

Dutch: from a shortened form of the personal name Hilaire (from Latin Hilarius; see Hillary ). Danish: habitational name from a place so called in northern Germany near Oldenburg. Danish: from ler ‘clay’ possibly a topographic name for someone who lived on clay or an occupational name for someone who extracted or used it. — Note: The population figure published by the US Census Bureau for this surname in the year 2000 is as high as 1197 while the figure for 2010 is supposedly lower than 100.

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


Similar surnames: Beer, Lier, Lee, Lever, Leber, Lees, Meer, Leed, Geer, Leet

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Leer family from?

You can see how Leer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Leer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Leer families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 40 Leer families living in London. This was about 37% of all the recorded Leer's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Leer families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Leer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Leer ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Fish Fryer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Leer. 50% of Leer men worked as a Fish Fryer and 80% of Leer women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Leer were General Labourer and House Duties. .

View Census Data for Leer | 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

  • Fish Fryer
    50%
  • General Labourer
    50%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    80%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    13%
  • House Duties
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Leer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Leer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Leer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Leer

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Leer. 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 Leer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Leer. For the veterans among your Leer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Leer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Leer family history

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What is the average Leer lifespan?

Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Leer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Leer in 1958 was 32, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Leer

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Leer family tree

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