Dean Family History

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Dean Name Meaning

English: topographic name from Middle English dene ‘valley’ (Old English denu), or a habitational name from any of several places in various parts of England named Dean, Deane, or Deen from this word. In Scotland this is a habitational name from Den in Aberdeenshire or Dean in Ayrshire. English: occupational name for the servant of a dean or nickname for someone thought to resemble a dean. A dean was an ecclesiastical official who was the head of a chapter of canons in a cathedral. The Middle English word deen is a borrowing of Old French d(e)ien, from Latin decanus (originally a leader of ten men, from decem ‘ten’), and thus is a cognate of Deacon. Irish: variant of Deane. Italian: occupational name cognate with 2, from Venetian dean ‘dean’, a dialect form of degan, from degano (Italian decano).

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


Similar surnames: Bean, Dear, Hearn, Degan, Dehn, Deal, Deane, Lean, Means, Deen

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Dean Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Dean name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Dean. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    52%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Dean Family Origin

Where is the Dean family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Dean families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dean family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dean families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 374 Dean families living in New York. This was about 20% of all the recorded Dean's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Dean families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dean surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Dean

    Dean Family Occupations

    What did your Dean ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Dean occupation in the USA was Farmer. 38% of Dean's were Farmers. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Dean. A less common occupation for the Dean family was Farming.

    View Census data for Dean | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      38%

    • Laborer

      8%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      3%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Dean ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Dean Historical Records

    What Dean family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 939,000 census records available for the last name Dean. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dean census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Dean

    Passenger List

    There are 72,000 immigration records available for the last name Dean. 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 Dean immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 148,000 military records available for the last name Dean. For the veterans among your Dean ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Dean military records

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

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    Dean Life Expectancy

    What is the average Dean lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Dean life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Dean in 1940 was 50, and 74 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dean

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

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