2000
#4,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Lear
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a person living near a pasture or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,385 Americans carry the last name Lear. That puts it at #4,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lear surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lear with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,877
Census rank
#4,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,312 bearers of the surname Lear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lear
The surname Lear has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "leah," which means a meadow, clearing, or open field. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Lear can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name appears as "de la Lere," suggesting a connection to a specific place or location.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lear was prevalent in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. It was often associated with landowners or individuals of some prominence in their local communities.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Lear was Sir John de Lear, a knight who served under King Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence. He was granted lands in Yorkshire for his military service.
Another prominent individual with the surname Lear was William Lear, a renowned English poet and writer who lived from 1629 to 1691. He is best known for his satirical works and his contributions to the development of English literature during the Restoration period.
In the 18th century, Tobias Lear, an American diplomat and personal secretary to George Washington, became a significant figure associated with the Lear name. He was born in 1762 and played a crucial role in managing Washington's affairs during and after the Revolutionary War.
The name Lear has also been linked to various place names across England, such as Lear Green in Hertfordshire and Lear Hill in Wiltshire. These place names may have derived from individuals bearing the surname Lear who lived or owned land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lear include the American inventor and industrialist William P. Lear, who lived from 1902 to 1978 and is best known for developing the Lear Jet, and the English poet and writer Edward Lear, who lived from 1812 to 1888 and is renowned for his nonsense poems and limericks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lear
Among Census respondents with the surname Lear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lear bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 6,321
- Black or African American5.9% · 428
- Two or more races3.6% · 260
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lear
Lear appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,649
-40 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 372 places
2020
#4,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,312
-337 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,266 | 7,689 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,638 | 7,649 | 2.59 | -40 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 372 places |
| 2020 | #4,700 | 7,312 | 2.45 | -337 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 62 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lear surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,638 | #4,700 | -1.3% |
| Count | 7,649 | 7,312 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.45 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lear bearers went from 7,649 to 7,312 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,638 to #4,700.
FAQ
Lear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lear?
Name Census estimates that about 8,385 living Americans carry the surname Lear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,877 residents.
How common is Lear?
Lear ranks #4,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,312 people with the surname Lear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lear.
Has Lear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lear went from 7,649 recorded bearers to 7,312. That is a decrease of 337 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,638 to #4,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Lear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (6,321 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lear (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lear mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to a person living near a pasture or clearing. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lear (2.45 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Lear?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.