Find out how popular the last name Dear is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dear.

Dear, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dear in America

Dear is the 8906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dear surname appeared 3,677 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dear to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dear

The surname DEAR is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "wild animal" or "deer." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname referring to someone skilled in hunting deer or living in an area abundant with deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DEAR can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1221, where a William Dere is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a John le Dere living in Oxfordshire. These early spellings, such as "Dere" and "le Dere," reflect the transition from the Old English word to a more modern surname form.

The surname DEAR is also believed to have been influenced by certain place names in England. For example, the village of Deer in Gloucestershire, which was documented as "Dere" in the Domesday Book of 1086, may have contributed to the surname's development. Similarly, the town of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire, recorded as "Deor-hyrst" in 1086, could have been a source of the surname.

Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname DEAR, one can mention:

1. William DEAR (c. 1573-1655), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1628 to 1629.

2. John DEAR (1609-1662), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648.

3. Thomas DEAR (1793-1853), a British soldier and explorer who served in the British Army and participated in several expeditions to Africa.

4. James DEAR (1836-1904), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in the late 19th century.

5. Alice DEAR (1881-1967), an English actress and singer who performed in various stage productions and musical comedies in the early 20th century.

While the surname DEAR has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, such as "Dere," "Deere," and "Deare," its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the tradition of bestowing descriptive nicknames related to occupations, characteristics, or surroundings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dear

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dear.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dear was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dear has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dear was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dear, please contact us.

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