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Weir Family History

Weir Name Meaning

Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river from Middle English Older Scots wer(e) ‘weir; fish-trap’. Compare Ware and Wear . In northern England and lowland Scotland there has been much confusion with the Irish and Scottish Gaelic names in 2 4 and 5 below. Scottish: in Scotland this surname was sometimes used for Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir ‘son of the steward’ more often Anglicized as McNair . Scottish (of Norman origin): surname of a family of Blackwood (Lanarkshire) which is said to be descended from Ralph de Ver a Norman baron associated with William the Lion between 1174 and 118 The change in pronunciation from Vere to Were would be unusual in Anglo-Norman French and the true source of the surname may lie elsewhere. One possibility is Wierre in Pas-de-Calais. Another possibility is that the surname may represent versions of the Norman surname de la Were ‘of the war’ a nickname for a warrior; see Warr . Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir ‘son of the steward’ (see McNair ). This surname was formerly Anglicized as McMoyer whence Moyers . In Scotland it more often became McNair . Irish: Anglicized form based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic cora ‘weir stepping stones’) of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra and Ó Comhraidhe (see Corr and Curry ).

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


Similar surnames: Wear, Wehr, Wein, Wei, Weit, Wire, Meer, Near, Keir, Teer

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Where is the Weir family from?

You can see how Weir families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Weir family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Weir families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 783 Weir families living in Ontario. This was about 61% of all the recorded Weir's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Weir families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Weir surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Weir ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Weir. 37% of Weir men worked as a Farmer and 16% of Weir women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Weir were Carpenter and Nurse. .

View Census Data for Weir | 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
    37%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    5%
  • Carpenter
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    16%
  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Nurse
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Weir family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 247,000 census records available for the last name Weir. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Weir census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Weir

Passenger Lists

There are 43,000 immigration records available for the last name Weir. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 36,000 military records available for the last name Weir. For the veterans among your Weir ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Weir lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Weir life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Weir in 1941 was 39, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Weir

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