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Besser Family History

Besser Name Meaning

German:: occupational name for a collector of fines from Middle High German bezzerære an agent derivative of bezzern ‘to collect fines’. habitational name from any of various places in Germany named Besser Bessing or Bessingen.

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


Similar surnames: Lesser, Nesser, Messer, Busser, Bester, Tesser, Hesser, Esser, Beiser

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Besser family from?

You can see how Besser families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Besser family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Besser families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there was 1 Besser family living in Connecticut. This was about 17% of all the recorded Besser's in USA. Connecticut and 5 other states had the highest population of Besser families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Besser surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Besser ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Besser. 14% of Besser men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Besser women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Besser were Clerk and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Besser | 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 1940

  • Farmer
    14%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Clerk
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Clerk
    9%
  • Housework
    8%
  • Stenographer
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Besser family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 11,000 census records available for the last name Besser. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Besser census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Besser

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Besser. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Besser immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Besser. For the veterans among your Besser ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Besser military records

You've only scratched the surface of Besser family history

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What is the average Besser lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Besser life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Besser in 1948 was 52, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Besser

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Besser family tree

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