History of your Surname
Get access to Shears family records.Start a free trial

Shears Family History

Shears Name Meaning

English: variant of Shear or Shire with post-medieval excrescent -s.

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


Similar surnames: Sears, Spears, Sheard, Stears, Sher, Skeans, Shearn, Shearer, Shear

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Shears family from?

You can see how Shears families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shears family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shears families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 46 Shears families living in Ontario. This was about 55% of all the recorded Shears's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shears families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shears surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shears ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Shears. 22% of Shears men worked as a Labourer. .

View Census Data for Shears | 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 1921

  • Labourer
    22%
  • Carpenter
    22%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Teamster
    11%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shears family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 51,000 census records available for the last name Shears. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shears census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shears

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Shears. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Shears immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Shears. For the veterans among your Shears ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shears military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shears family history

Discover More

What is the average Shears lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Shears life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1975. The average life expectancy for Shears in 1944 was 31, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shears

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Shears family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Shears last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial