Get access to Wear family records.Start a free trial

Wear Family History

Wear Name Meaning

English (Northumbria):: topographic name for someone who lived by the Wear river in northeastern England. The river name is ancient occuring in the form Vedra in Ptolemy's Geographia; it is probably from a Celtic word meaning ‘water’. topographic name for someone who lived near a dam or weir a variant of Ware 1 or a habitational name from a place called Weare in Devon and Somerset from Old English wær wer ‘weir’.

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

Similar surnames: Weir, Bear, Pear, Wehr, Lear, Mears, Bean, Hoar, Haar, Dear

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

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Wear family from?

You can see how Wear families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wear family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wear families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 41 Wear families living in Ontario. This was about 40% of all the recorded Wear's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Wear families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wear surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Wear

What Wear family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 38,000 census records available for the last name Wear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search Canadian census records for Wear
Passenger Lists
There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Wear. 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 Wear immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Wear. For the veterans among your Wear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Wear military records

Census Records

There are 38,000 census records available for the last name Wear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Wear

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Wear. For the veterans among your Wear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wear military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wear family history

Discover More

What is the average Wear lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Wear life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Wear in 1944 was 50, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wear

Browse profiles of historical people with the Wear last name

Start a 14-Day Free Trial