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Brear Family History

Brear Surname Meaning

From Middle English (atte) bre(i)r ‘(at the) prickly or thorny plant’ refers to someone who lived by such plants, like brier (the dog rose) or bramble. Compare Briers. The word in (i) perhaps alludes to a sharp-tongued person. This seems to be implied by the Middle English surname Le Brer.

This could be short for atte brer ‘at the briar’ with scribal substitution of French le for English the. It is a reduced form of Brearey.

Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames cites Jonathon and Sarah Breary or Breare from 1691–1704 in Parish Registers (Silsden Kildwick WR Yorks).

Additionally, Miles Brearah or Brear is noted from 1757–62 in Parish Registers (Rothwell WR Yorks).

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Brear family from?

You can see how Brear families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Brear family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Brear families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 465 Brear families living in Yorkshire. This was about 89% of all the recorded Brear's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Brear families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Brear surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Brear ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Timber Merchant and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Brear. 19% of Brear men worked as a Timber Merchant and 80% of Brear women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Brear were Dyers Labourer (retired) and Unpaid Domestic Dutie.

View Census Data for Brear | 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 1939

  • Timber Merchant
    19%
  • Dairy Farmer
    14%
  • General Labourer
    14%
  • Dyers Labourer (retired)
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    80%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duti
    3%
  • Retired
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic Dutie
    3%

What Brear family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Brear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Brear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Brear

Passenger Lists

There are 598 immigration records available for the last name Brear. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Brear immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 425 military records available for the last name Brear. For the veterans among your Brear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Brear military records

You've only scratched the surface of Brear family history

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What is the average Brear lifespan?

Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Brear life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1982. The average life expectancy for Brear in 1958 was 50, and 96 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Brear

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Brear ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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