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Oppenheim Family History

Oppenheim Name Meaning

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from a place on the Rhine between Mainz and Worms so named from an unexplained first element + Old High German heim ‘homestead’. There was an important Jewish settlement here before the Holocaust. Due to persistent persecution members of the Oppenheim community were periodically forced to flee from their native city and hence the surnames Oppenheim and Oppenheimer became widespread throughout southern and western Germany.

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


Similar surnames: Manheim, Guggenheim, Rosenheim, Wertheim, Oppenheimer, Opheim

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Oppenheim family from?

You can see how Oppenheim families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Oppenheim family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1851 and 1920. The most Oppenheim families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 172 Oppenheim families living in New York. This was about 54% of all the recorded Oppenheim's in USA. New York had the highest population of Oppenheim families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Oppenheim surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Oppenheim ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Salesman and Saleslady were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Oppenheim. 27% of Oppenheim men worked as a Salesman and 15% of Oppenheim women worked as a Saleslady. Some less common occupations for Americans named Oppenheim were Manager and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Oppenheim | 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

  • Salesman
    27%
  • Proprietor
    8%
  • Clerk
    8%
  • Manager
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Saleslady
    15%
  • Clerk
    11%
  • Secretary
    10%
  • Stenographer
    10%
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What Oppenheim family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 14,000 census records available for the last name Oppenheim. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Oppenheim census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Oppenheim

Passenger Lists

There are 9,000 immigration records available for the last name Oppenheim. 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 Oppenheim immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Oppenheim. For the veterans among your Oppenheim ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Oppenheim lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Oppenheim life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Oppenheim in 1954 was 50, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Oppenheim

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