Steele Family History

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Steele Name Meaning

English and Scottish: from Middle English stele ‘steel’, hence a nickname for someone considered as hard and durable as steel, or metonymic occupational name for a foundry worker.

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


Similar surnames: Seele, Sterle, Staple, Stoebe, Skeel, Steel, Selle, Steil, Sweere

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Steele Family Origin

Where is the Steele family from?

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You can see how Steele families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Steele family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Steele families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 972 Steele families living in Yorkshire. This was about 13% of all the recorded Steele's in the UK. Yorkshire had the highest population of Steele families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Steele surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Steele

Steele Family Occupations

What did your Steele 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 Steele. 2% of Steele men worked as a General Labourer and 51% of Steele women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Steele were Carpenter and Domestic Duties

View Census data for Steele | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

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

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    51%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    1%
  • Domestic Duties
    1%

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

Steele Historical Records

What Steele family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 486,000 census records available for the last name Steele. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Steele 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 Steele

Passenger List

There are 58,000 immigration records available for the last name Steele. 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 Steele immigration records

Draft Card

There are 95,000 military records available for the last name Steele. For the veterans among your Steele ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Steele military records

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

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Steele Life Expectancy

What is the average Steele lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Steele life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Steele in 1941 was 56, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Steele

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Steele 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 Steele Family Ancestors

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