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Belt Family History

Belt Surname Meaning

English and North German: metonymic occupational name for a leather belt or strap maker or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive belt from Middle English belt ‘belt girdle’ (Old English belt) Middle Low German balt. German: from a short form of the ancient Germanic personal name Baldher (see Belter).

North German: habitational name from a place called Beelte (see Belter). Dutch (also Van den Belt): topographic name from belt ‘low hill’.

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


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Where is the Belt family from?

You can see how Belt families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Belt family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Belt families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 30 Belt families living in Maryland. This was about 24% of all the recorded Belt's in USA. Maryland had the highest population of Belt families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Belt surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Belt ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Belt. 20% of Belt men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Belt women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Belt were Salesman and Seamstress.

View Census Data for Belt | 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
    20%
  • Farmer
    19%
  • Truck Driver
    5%
  • Salesman
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    10%
  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Clerk
    7%
  • Seamstress
    5%

What Belt family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 45,000 census records available for the last name Belt. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Belt census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Belt

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Belt. 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 Belt immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Belt. For the veterans among your Belt ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Belt military records

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