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Fear Family History

Fear Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a sociable person from Middle English fe(a)re feer ‘comrade companion’ (Old English (ge)fēra). nickname for a proud or haughty person from Middle English fere feer ‘proud bold strong fierce’ (Old French f(i)er).

nickname perhaps occasionally from Middle English fer(e) feer ‘fear’ (Old English fǣr). (of Norman origin): habitational name perhaps from La Fère in Aisne France or a topographic name from Middle English fare fere (Old English fær) ‘road passage ford ferry’.

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


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Where is the Fear family from?

You can see how Fear families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fear family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fear families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 693 Fear families living in Somerset. This was about 47% of all the recorded Fear's in United Kingdom. Somerset had the highest population of Fear families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fear 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 Fear ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Gardener and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Fear. 8% of Fear men worked as a Gardener and 72% of Fear women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fear were Builders Labourer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Fear | 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

  • Gardener
    8%
  • Dairy Farmer
    6%
  • General Labourer
    6%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic Dut
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Fear family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 34,000 census records available for the last name Fear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Fear

Passenger Lists

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

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Fear. For the veterans among your Fear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fear military records

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