Felch: Family Name, Meaning, History, and More

It can be a fascinating journey to find out more about your family’s history. It will be a crucial part of discovering who you are. The Felch family name is not very popular, and there is not much information about it. However, in this article, we are going to uncover as much information as we can about the Felch family name.

Origin of the Felch Family Name and Meaning

It is believed that the Felch family name originated in English or Welsh and meant pilfer. However, it is no longer found in Britain. In South Germany, it is a nickname for people with blonde hair. It originated from the Middle High German “falch”, which means “yellow.”

History and Records of the Felch Family Name

Through census data, the Felch families traveled a lot over time. When investigating the census records, you can find that some of your ancestors may have traveled via ship or could have possibly taken a different means of transport to get to their destination, such as traveling by horse and buggy or train and then a ship to arrive in the United States.  

In addition, between 1840 and 1920, the Felch name was found in Canada, the USA, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. In the USA, the majority of the Felch family name was found in 1880. There were 42 Felch families residing in New Hampshire in 1840; this made up approximately 51%. By 1840, New Hampshire had the highest Felch family population.

Furthermore, the Felch family had an average life span of 21 years in 1961 and 71 years in 2004. It peaked at its highest in 1993 when there were 86 Felch family members in the United States. Additionally, ancestry.com hold 77,000 records for the Felch surname; these include:

• Member trees: 48,000
• Death, marriage, and birth: 17,000
• Census records: 9,000
• Military records: 1,000
• Immigration records: 751

Which Felch Ancestral Documents Are There?

On the ancestry website, you can find more information regarding the Felch family name, such as:

• Census records: For the surname Felch, there are 9,000 records. These records can provide you with a glimpse into your ancestors' daily lives, such as their schooling, employment history, veteran rank, and other information.
• Passenger lists: Their records show 751 immigrants with the surname Felch. This list shows you when your ancestors arrived in the United States, the ship name, departure and arrival ports, as well as how they made their journey.
• Draft cards/military records: If any of your Felch family ancestors were veterans, then these records can show you more about their service history, such as when and where they served as well as their physical traits.

Common Jobs for the Felch Family Name in the United States and England

What jobs did your ancestors do that were popular? The top two jobs listed were housekeeper and laborer. Let’s take a look at the stats.

United States 1940: top male occupations

• Laborer: 21%
• Farmer: 17%
• Salesman: 10%
• Truck driver: 5%

United States 1940: top female occupations

• Housekeeper: 22%
• Clerk: 13%
• School teacher: 10%
• Bookkeeper: 10%

England, 1939, top female occupations

• Unpaid domestic duties: 100%

Interesting Facts About the Felch Family Name

• The Felch family name is the 274,674^th most common surname in the world.
• In the United States, there are approximately 1,414 people with the surname Felch.
• 52.67% of the Felch Political Affiliation is Republican, and 52.23% is Democrat.

World Map of Felch Surname and First Name

Next, let’s take a closer peek at the number of people in the world with the Felch surname according to year.

In 2014, the Felch name ranked on the list as the 3,684,242nd most common first name. Furthermore, there is currently no meaning related to this name as a first name. These were the statistics in 2014.

• United States: 7
• Afghanistan: 1
• Australia: 1
• Philippines: 1

Phonetically Similar Names

In this section, we will take a look at alternative spellings of the Felch family name and where they are located worldwide. Maybe you have a relative with one of these surnames.

Famous People With the Felch Surname

• Alpheus Felch: Born on September 28, 1804, and died at the age of 91 years. He was a judge, lawyer, politician, and university teacher. He is the only famous Felch.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Anelina/Shutterstock.com.