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

Stear, 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 Stear surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stear in America

Stear is the 41886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stear surname appeared 519 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 Stear.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stear 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 Stear

The surname STEAR is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "stær," meaning a starling or a small bird. Early spellings of the name included Stere, Stere, and Stare.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Willelmus Stere was mentioned. The name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, listing a Johannes Ster.

In the 14th century, the surname STEAR began to appear in various English records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Richard Stere was mentioned in 1317. Similarly, the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire recorded a William Stere in 1348.

During the medieval period, the surname was often associated with areas known for their starling populations, such as the village of Staresmore in Yorkshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Steremore."

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Stere (c. 1350-1418), who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1388 and 1397. Another was William Stere (c. 1425-1493), a merchant and alderman in the City of London, who served as Sheriff of London in 1467.

In the 16th century, the surname STEAR spread to other parts of England, with records showing instances in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One example was John Steare (c. 1545-1610), a clergyman who served as the Rector of Woodchurch in Kent.

In the 17th century, the surname was found in various parts of England, including London, where Thomas Steare (c. 1620-1683) was a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company.

Throughout the centuries, the surname STEAR has also been associated with several notable figures, such as Sir Richard Stere (c. 1570-1632), a diplomat and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire, and Sir John Steare (c. 1590-1658), a lawyer and Member of Parliament for Somerset.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stear

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

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

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

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