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

Dears, 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 Dears surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dears in America

Dears is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dears surname appeared 149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dears.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dears 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 Dears

The surname Dears is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "deor," meaning "deer" or "beast," and "hyrde," meaning "herd" or "keeper." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who tended to or watched over deer or other animals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dears can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation ordered by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Derhird," which is likely an early spelling variation.

In the 13th century, the name Dears is documented in various county records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1202, where it is spelled "Derhyrde." This variation further reinforces the connection to the Old English words for "deer" and "herd."

During the 14th century, the name Dears began to spread across different regions of England. Notable individuals from this period include John Dears, who was a landowner in Hertfordshire in 1327, and William Dears, a merchant recorded in the Yorkshire trade records of 1386.

The 16th century saw the emergence of several influential figures bearing the surname Dears. One such individual was Sir Thomas Dears (1520-1588), a prominent courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Dears (1540-1612), a renowned herbalist and author of one of the earliest published works on medicinal plants in England.

In the 17th century, the name Dears continued to be well-represented across various professions and social classes. One noteworthy individual was Robert Dears (1623-1698), a successful merchant and philanthropist who founded several schools and charities in his hometown of Bristol.

The 18th century brought forth the renowned writer and poet, Samuel Dears (1709-1784), whose works were highly acclaimed during the Age of Enlightenment. Additionally, this period saw the rise of Admiral John Dears (1745-1819), a distinguished naval officer who played a crucial role in several battles during the Napoleonic Wars.

Throughout the 19th century, the Dears surname continued to be prominent, with individuals such as Mary Dears (1822-1891), a pioneering female scientist and one of the first women to be elected as a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Sir William Dears (1856-1932), a prominent businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable causes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dears

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

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 Dears 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 Dears 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 Dears was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!