Speed Family History

Speed Surname Meaning

English: nickname from Middle English sped ‘success, prosperity, wealth, smooth progress’ (hence the modern meaning ‘swiftness’); also ‘speed, quickness’ (Old English sped) used either for a fortunate, wealthy, or successful person or for a swift runner.

Irish (Mayo): when not the English name adopted for Gaelic Ó Fuada from fuad ‘haste’ (see Foody).

Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Schnell.

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

Similar surnames: Speer, Seed, Steer, Sneed, Peed, Spear, See, Creed, Speck, Gleed

103K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
19K	Military Records
7K	Immigration Records
71K	Census and Voter Lists
194K	Member Trees

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Where is the Speed family from?

You can see how Speed families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Speed family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Speed families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 228 Speed families living in Lancashire. This was about 10% of all the recorded Speed's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Speed families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Speed surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Speed

What did your Speed 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 Speed. 10% of Speed men worked as a General labourer and 71% of Speed women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Speed were Dairy farmer and Domestic servant.

View Census Data for Speed

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.

General labourer

10%

Farmer

Builders labourer

Dairy farmer

Unpaid domestic duties

71%

Housewife

Unpaid domestic

Domestic servant

What Speed family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 71K census records available for the last name Speed. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Speed census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Speed

Passenger List

There are 7K immigration records available for the last name Speed. 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 Speed immigration records

Military Records

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

View all Speed military records

You've only scratched the surface of Speed family history

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What is the average Speed lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Speed life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Speed in 1950 was 44, and 72 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Speed family tree

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Speed Surname Meaning

Irish (Mayo): when not the English name adopted for Gaelic Ó Fuada from fuad ‘haste’ (see Foody).

Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Schnell.

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

Where is the Speed family from?

What did your Speed ancestors do for a living?

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.

General labourer

10%

Farmer

Builders labourer

Dairy farmer

Unpaid domestic duties

71%

Housewife

Unpaid domestic

Domestic servant

What Speed family records will you find?

What is the average Speed lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Speed life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Speed in 1950 was 44, and 72 in 2004.

Speed Family History

Speed Surname Meaning

396,000 record(s) for Speed

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

Where is the Speed family from?

What did your Speed ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Speed family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Speed family history

What is the average Speed lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Speed family tree

Search for another surname

Speed Surname Meaning

396,000 record(s) for Speed

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

Where is the Speed family from?

What did your Speed ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Speed family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Speed family history

What is the average Speed lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Speed family tree

Search for another surname