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

Kear, 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 Kear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kear in America

Kear is the 13491st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kear surname appeared 2,252 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 Kear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kear 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 Kear

The surname Kear is believed to have originated in England, derived from the Old English word "cær," which means "to bend or turn." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bend in a river or road.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Kear or similar spellings, such as Keare and Keir. These records indicate that the name was already in use during the Norman conquest of England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kear was John Kear, born around 1240 in Gloucestershire, England. Another notable figure was William Kear, born in 1312 in Yorkshire, who was a member of the landed gentry and held substantial estates in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the name Kear was also associated with several place names in England, such as Kear's Green in Worcestershire and Kear's Hill in Oxfordshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Kear who lived or held land in those areas.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Kear was Sir Thomas Kear, born in 1548 in Lincolnshire. He was a prominent merchant and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1593.

Another significant individual was John Kear, born in 1672 in Lancashire, who was a renowned clockmaker and inventor. His innovations in clockmaking mechanisms contributed significantly to the advancement of timekeeping technology during the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Kear was associated with the artist and engraver John Kear, born in 1744 in London. His intricate engravings and illustrations were highly sought after by collectors and publishers of the time.

As the surname Kear spread throughout England and beyond, it took on various spellings, including Keir, Keere, and Kier. This was common during the era when spelling conventions were less standardized, and names were often recorded based on their phonetic pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kear

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kear, 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!