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Shear Family History

Shear Name Meaning

English: nickname for a beautiful or radiant person or one with fair hair from Middle English scher schir ‘bright fair’ (Old English scǣre scīr). In addition the name may be a habitational name from Shere (Surrey) named from the word above. Possibly an altered form of German Schier .

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


Similar surnames: Shean, Spear, Sheard, Hoar, Steer, Sher, Usher, Star, Haar, Speer

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Where is the Shear family from?

You can see how Shear families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shear family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shear families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 26 Shear families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Shear's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Shear families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shear surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shear ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Shear. 50% of Shear men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Shear women worked as a Housewife. .

View Census Data for Shear | 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

  • Farmer
    50%
  • Carpenter
    17%
  • Packer
    12%
  • Salesman
    12%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housewife
    100%
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What Shear family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Shear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shear

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Shear. 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 Shear immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Shear. For the veterans among your Shear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shear military records

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What is the average Shear lifespan?

Between 1950 and 2004, in the United States, Shear life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Shear in 1950 was 48, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shear

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Shear family tree

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