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Been Family History

Been Name Meaning

Dutch: nickname from been ‘leg’ probably denoting a cripple. Dutch: occupational name for a butcher either metonymic from been ‘bone’ or shortened from beenhouwer ‘butcher’. Dutch: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names beginning with the element Bern- ‘bear’ as for example Bernhard . English: variant of Bean .

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


Similar surnames: Beer, Bean, Bein, Bien, Behn, Benn, Geen, Bee, Keen, Deen

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 Been family from?

You can see how Been families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Been family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Been families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 16 Been families living in Tennessee. This was about 23% of all the recorded Been's in USA. Tennessee had the highest population of Been families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Been surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Been ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Been. 29% of Been men worked as a Laborer and 17% of Been women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Been were Carpenter and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Been | 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

  • Laborer
    29%
  • Farmer
    24%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    17%
  • Cook
    8%
  • Seamstress
    8%
  • Teacher
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Been family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 10,000 census records available for the last name Been. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Been census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Been

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Been. For the veterans among your Been ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Been military records

You've only scratched the surface of Been family history

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What is the average Been lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Been life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Been in 1957 was 37, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Been

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