The Spears surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 41,665 people carried this name — #830 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,080 people counted. That is up 4% from 40,203 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Spears surname

An English surname transferred from the nickname.

From Spear + -s. Patronymic of Spear.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

190 families named Spears, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,080 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 11 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

Massachusetts 42
Pennsylvania 33
North Carolina 31
South Carolina 17
Vermont 15
Virginia 14
Maine 9
New York 8
New Hampshire 7
Maryland 6
Rhode Island 4
Connecticut 4

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. 263 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Spears in American newspapers,
1899–1902.

Newspaper page from The Semi-weekly Messenger carrying the name Spears
The Semi-weekly Messenger 1899-03-03
Newspaper page from The Semi-weekly Messenger carrying the name Spears
The Semi-weekly Messenger 1899-03-03
Newspaper page from The News & Observer carrying the name Spears
The News & Observer 1902-12-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,804 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Spears in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

7,298 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Spears. The most, 1,098, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,314
Victoria 2,354
South Australia 487
Queensland 444
Western Australia 416
Tasmania 188
ACT (Canberra) 35
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named Spears,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Noah Spears
    Noah Spears 1793–1868
  • James G. Spears
    James G. Spears 1816–1869 · military officer
  • Raymond S. Spears
    Raymond S. Spears 1876–1950 · essayist
  • Billy Spears
    Billy Spears 1877–1957 · Australian rules football player
  • Isaiah H. Spears
    Isaiah H. Spears 1882–1964
  • Jessie Spears d. 1916

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 Spears,
in the records of 5 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 States2,197 records

2,197 records of the Spears name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,233
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 520
  • Other U.S. records 444
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David Paul Spears

    Born 1931; from Rogersville, Tennessee. U.S. Army, cannon crewmember; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    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 Prentis Spears

    Born 1912 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; garage laborer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Calverton 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 Isabella Spears

    Arrived at New York in 1864 aboard the North America from Liverpool, aged 39; weaver. From Scotland.

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

Showing 3 of 2,197 records for Spears in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). 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).

Canada423 records

423 records of the Spears name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 377
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Other Canadian records 33
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Adelaide Doris Spears

    Buried in 1995 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 83.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Spears

    Died 1945 in Port Felix, Guysborough, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  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 James Douglas Murray Spears

    Died in service in 1945.

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

Showing 3 of 423 records for Spears in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · 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: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia246 records

246 records of the Spears name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 108
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 58
  • Other Australian records 80
  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 John Spears

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Asia, sailing from Sheerness in 1835. Native of Liverpool, Lancashire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ceinwin Spears

    Arrived in Queensland in 1928 aboard the Mamilius, aged 16.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick Vernon Spears

    Retired farmer of South Ballarat, Victoria; died 1960.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 246 records for Spears 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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); 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).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Spears name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • 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 William Spears

    Will proved in 1934; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Spears

    Honourable Artillery Company. 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 First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Spears

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Spears 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); 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 Spears 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 Ernest William Noel Spears

    Died 1964, aged 49; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 Spears.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Spears 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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