The Bear surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,252 people carried this name — #4,308 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 35,700 people counted. That is up 8% from 7,672 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Bear surname

As an English surname, related to bear

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bear» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Robert le Ber, Kent, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 87 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 30 people named Bear.

9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Hautes-Pyrénées.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 9
Hautes-Pyrénées 8
Dordogne 3
Guadeloupe 3
Ariège 2
Paris 2
Haute-Garonne 1
Gironde 1
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 30 people named Bear live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 30

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

188 families named Bear, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,066 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 13 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 129
Maryland 19
Connecticut 14
New York 7
Virginia 5
South Carolina 4
Vermont 3
Massachusetts 3
North Carolina 3
New Hampshire 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 229 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Bear in American newspapers,
1915–1922.

Newspaper page from The Hattiesburg News carrying the name Bear
The Hattiesburg News 1916-09-02
Newspaper page from The Hattiesburg News carrying the name Bear
The Hattiesburg News 1915-06-05
Newspaper page from The St. Charles Herald carrying the name Bear
The St. Charles Herald 1922-12-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,071 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bear in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

27,444 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bear. The most, 4,637, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 11,327
New South Wales 9,706
South Australia 2,233
Queensland 2,028
Western Australia 1,144
Tasmania 892
ACT (Canberra) 69
Northern Territory 21

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bear.

Who carried it

People named Bear,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Annette Bear-Crawford
    Annette Bear-Crawford 1853–1899 · social reformer
  • Marie Drofnah
    Marie Drofnah 1861–1938 · stage actor
  • Noel Bear 1801–1907 · artist
  • James Peiarce Bear 1843–1888 · teacher
  • George Telfer Bear 1876–1973 · painter
  • George Telfer Bear 1876–1973 · painter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bear,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States745 records

745 records of the Bear name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 244
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 226
  • Other U.S. records 275
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Stanley Wayne Bear

    Born 1931; from Greenup County, Kentucky. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery - Northeast, Argillite, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard W. Bear

    Born 1914 in Virginia. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; machine shop worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1970, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fanny Bear

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Nord America from Hamburg, aged 16; farmer. From Ingenheim, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 745 records for Bear in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia432 records

432 records of the Bear name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 272
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 83
  • Other Australian records 77
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Bear

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Marquis of Hastings, arriving 1827; ticket of leave 1832. Native of Hampshire.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth Bear

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Stebonheath, aged 32; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Francis M. Bear

    Shipwright of Echuca, Victoria; died 1942.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 432 records for Bear in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada13 records

13 records of the Bear name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 3
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Bear

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Memphis, landing at Quebec, bound for Watford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Wilbert Bear

    Died 1996, aged 28; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Marcel Bear

    Died in service in 1953.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Bear in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France12 records

12 records of the Bear name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marthe Felicie Augusta Bear

    Born 1900 in Tarbes; died 1991 in Saint-Lézer (Hautes-Pyrénées).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Andre Georges Bear

    Born 1919 in Saint-Denis (Paris); died 1986 in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Nicole Jeannette Lucienne Bear

    Born 1934 in Périgueux; died 1999 in Périgueux (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Bear in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Bear name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record George Bear

    Married in 1825 in Amsterdam; merchant.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Catharina Bear

    Died 1912 in Gorssel, aged 86.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Marij Agnes Bear

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1882 in New Brunswick.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Bear in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Bear name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Willia Ernest Bear

    Will proved in 1940; of Wrexham, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Bear

    Buried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 25.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Bear

    Evonshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Bear in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Bear name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Arthur Bear

    Buried in 1925 at Lyttelton Public Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bear.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bear is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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