Daily AncestorElectrician
An electrician installed, repaired and maintained electrical wiring and equipment in buildings, plants and ships.
The word first meant a person who demonstrated or studied electricity, a sense Wiktionary now marks archaic. As a trade it grew with electric lighting and power. In the United States the trade divides into linemen, who work on utility lines, and wiremen, who wire the inside of buildings.
The 1930 census instructions name electrician as an example of an exact entry to use instead of the vague word mechanic.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Ray Kittredge, 29, Electrician, Building construction
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Electrician." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/electrician. Last checked 2026-10-12.