2000
#9,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Wear
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold clothing or armor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,754 Americans carry the last name Wear. That puts it at #9,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wear 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 Wear with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,304
Census rank
#9,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,274 bearers of the surname Wear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wear
The surname WEAR is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "wer," which means a pool, weir, or dam. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with people who lived near a pool or weir, or worked in occupations related to the management of water systems.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WEAR surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "de Wer," indicating that it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a specific body of water.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname WEAR began to appear in various records and documents across England, often with variations in spelling such as "Weir," "Weare," and "Wyer." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
Notable individuals bearing the WEAR surname in history include John Wear (c. 1598-1665), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Chichester. Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Wear (1679-1762), a British naval officer who served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1729 to 1730.
In the literary world, the name is associated with James Wear (1853-1937), an English poet and journalist who published several collections of verse and worked as an editor for various newspapers.
Moving into the 20th century, Nathaniel Wear (1904-1990) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1945 to 1959.
More recently, the WEAR surname has been carried by individuals like Robert Wear (born 1951), an American author and professor of English literature, and Janelle Wear (born 1992), an Australian professional basketball player who has represented her country in international competitions.
While the WEAR surname may have originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, and individuals with this name can be found in various countries and cultures today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wear
Among Census respondents with the surname Wear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wear 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 Wear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,842
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 144
- Two or more races4.3% · 141
- Black or African American3.3% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wear
Wear 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
#9,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,473
+152 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#9,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,274
-199 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,050 | 3,321 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,366 | 3,473 | 1.18 | +152 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #9,499 | 3,274 | 1.10 | -199 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 133 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 Wear 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 | #9,366 | #9,499 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,473 | 3,274 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.10 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wear bearers went from 3,473 to 3,274 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,366 to #9,499.
FAQ
Wear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wear?
Name Census estimates that about 3,754 living Americans carry the surname Wear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,304 residents.
How common is Wear?
Wear ranks #9,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,274 people with the surname Wear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wear.
Has Wear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wear went from 3,473 recorded bearers to 3,274. That is a decrease of 199 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,366 to #9,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Wear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wear, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Wear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Wear (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 Wear mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold clothing or armor. 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 Wear (1.10 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 are called Wear?
See how common the surname Wear is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.