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Wear Family History

Wear Surname Meaning

English (Northumbria) is a topographic name for someone who lived by the Wear river in northeastern England. The river name is ancient, occurring in the form Vedra in Ptolemy's Geographia; it is probably from a Celtic word meaning ‘water’.

This designation also refers to a topographic name for someone who lived near a dam or weir. It is a variant of Ware.

Additionally, it may serve as a habitational name from a place called Weare in Devon and Somerset. It derives from Old English wær and wer, meaning ‘weir’.

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


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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 1891 there were 238 Wear families living in Yorkshire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Wear's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Wear families in 1891.
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.
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What did your Wear ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Wear. 23% of Wear men worked as a General Labourer and 74% of Wear women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wear were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Wear | 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

  • General Labourer
    23%
  • Sheet Metal Worker
    10%
  • Bricklayer
    8%
  • Incapacitated
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic Du
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

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 UK 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 the UK, 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

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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

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wear 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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