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Baker Family History

Baker Surname Meaning

English: occupational name from Middle English bakere Old English bæcere a derivative of bacan ‘to bake’. It may have been used for someone whose special task in the kitchen of a great house or castle was the baking of bread but since most humbler households did their own baking in the Middle Ages it may also have referred to the owner of a communal oven used by the whole village. The right to be in charge of this and exact money or loaves in return for its use was in many parts of the country a hereditary feudal privilege. Compare Miller . Less often the surname may have been acquired by someone noted for baking particularly fine bread or by a baker of pottery or bricks. Americanized form (translation into English) of surnames meaning ‘baker’ for example Dutch Bakker German Becker and Beck French Boulanger and Bélanger (see Belanger ) Czech Pekař Slovak Pekár and Croatian Pekar .

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


Similar surnames: Baer, Bauer, Backer, Barker, Bader, Banker, Bakker, Bake, Hayer

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Where is the Baker family from?

You can see how Baker families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Baker family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Baker families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 1,317 Baker families living in New York. This was about 20% of all the recorded Baker's in USA. New York had the highest population of Baker families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Baker surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Baker ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Baker. 15% of Baker men worked as a Laborer and 7% of Baker women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Baker were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Baker | 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
    15%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Maid
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Baker family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3 million census records available for the last name Baker. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Baker census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 253,000 immigration records available for the last name Baker. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 478,000 military records available for the last name Baker. For the veterans among your Baker ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Baker lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Baker life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Baker in 1940 was 45, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Baker

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