The Lear surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,649 people carried this name — #4,638 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,600 people counted. That is down 1% from 7,689 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lear surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘de Leyre’.

An early record he cites: William de Leyre, Leicestershire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 474 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 112 people named Lear 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 Misiones.

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

Where they live today

Misiones 71
Buenos Aires Province 21
City of Buenos Aires 20

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

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named Lear.

3 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often La Réunion.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 3
La Réunion 43

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Lear was found among the farmers of Devon: 7 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

40 families named Lear, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 217 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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 19
New Hampshire 10
Maryland 3
New York 2
Virginia 2
North Carolina 2
Maine 1
Massachusetts 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. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Lear in American newspapers,
1802–1909.

Newspaper page from United States Oracle And Portsmouth Advertiser carrying the name Lear
United States Oracle And Portsmouth Advertiser 1802-03-27
Newspaper page from Jenks's Portland Gazette carrying the name Lear
Jenks's Portland Gazette 1802-03-29
Newspaper page from Omaha Daily Bee carrying the name Lear
Omaha Daily Bee 1909-09-20

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,160 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lear in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

16,713 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lear. The most, 2,825, 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 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 6,462
Queensland 3,282
New South Wales 3,150
South Australia 2,179
Tasmania 798
Western Australia 732
ACT (Canberra) 70
Northern Territory 13

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

Who carried it

People named Lear,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Lear
    Samuel Lear d. 1832 · Methodist minister
  • Benjamin Lincoln Lear
    Benjamin Lincoln Lear 1792–1832 · lawyer
  • Thomas Lear 1584–
  • Thomas Lear 1613–1683
  • Sir Peter Lear, 1st Bt. 1623–1683
  • John Lear 1636–1696

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 Lear,
in the records of 6 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 States654 records

654 records of the Lear name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 262
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 115
  • Other U.S. records 277
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Rice W. Lear

    Born 1919 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Louisville; construction laborer from Mercer County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Spring Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Max L. Lear

    Born 1930; from Cabarrus County, North Carolina. U.S. Army, chief intermediate speed radio operator; killed in action 1953 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Lear

    Arrived at Boston in 1849 aboard the Greenock from Cork, aged 25; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 654 records for Lear 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia532 records

532 records of the Lear name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 185
  • Tasmanian Names Index 133
  • Other Australian records 214
  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 Jane Lear

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Stately, sailing from Plymouth in 1849. Native of Stone, Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ethel Maud Isabel Lear

    Born 1872 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1891 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ernest H. M. Lear

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Ellora, aged 21; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 532 records for Lear in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada54 records

54 records of the Lear name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 30
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 11
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Lear

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the L. Superior, landing at Quebec, bound for Seaforth, 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 Gilbert Francis Lear

    Died 1987, aged 88; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Harriett F. Lear

    Died 1918 in North West Arm, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 54 records for Lear in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France12 records

12 records of the Lear 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 Marie Sulliane Lear

    Born 1953 in Saint-Leu; died 1997 in Saint-Pierre (La Réunion).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Anthony Paul Martin Lear

    Born 1966 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Paris.

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

    Born 1944 in Saint-Leu; died 1999 in Saint-Leu (La Réunion).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Lear 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).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Lear name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Lear

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 36.

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

    Lance Corporal, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Lear

    Buried in 1849 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 77.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Lear in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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: 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 Zealand6 records

6 records of the Lear name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Samuel Lear

    Died 1964, aged 77; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Lear

    Buried in 1951 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 86.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Lear

    Died 1978, aged 84; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Lear in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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 Lear.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lear 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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