The Weir surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 18,881 people carried this name — #1,903 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,600 people counted. That is up 2% from 18,588 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Weir surname

As an English and Scottish surname, from the noun weir.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Weir» (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

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

An early record he cites: John de la Were, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Wear, Weare and Weir.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 797 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 56 births for the Weir name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “31 in Antrim and 10 in Armagh.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 50
Connacht 3
Leinster 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

25 people named Weir live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

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

Where they live today

Geneva 9
Basel-Landschaft 6
Zurich 6
Vaud 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

27 people named Weir is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 27

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland, 1880s

Weir was 20 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 500. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Found over a large part of Scotland, but rare in the north.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 595 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Weir was recorded 185 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 114th most common name in those registers. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 300. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Weir in American newspapers,
1905–1920.

Newspaper page from The Seward Gateway Daily Edition, And The Alaska Weekly Post carrying the name Weir
The Seward Gateway Daily Edition, And The Alaska Weekly Post 1918-09-10
Newspaper page from Five Mile Beach Weekly Journal carrying the name Weir
Five Mile Beach Weekly Journal 1920-02-06
Newspaper page from The Gem State Rural carrying the name Weir
The Gem State Rural 1905-08-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,900 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Weir in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

117,769 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Weir. The most, 18,014, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 45,547
Victoria 25,683
Queensland 22,147
Western Australia 10,562
South Australia 8,671
Tasmania 4,060
ACT (Canberra) 851
Northern Territory 85

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

Who carried it

People named Weir,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jean Weir d. 1670 · teacher
  • Daniel Weir d. 1724 · politician
  • William Weir d. 1865 · painter
  • Bessie Weir d. 1677
  • Christian Anstruther d. 1771
  • Mary Weir d. 1906

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Weir,
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 States3,322 records

3,322 records of the Weir name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 836
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 733
  • Other U.S. records 1,753
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glenn J. Weir

    Born 1920 in California. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles; construction laborer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, California.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1891 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 18; servant. From England; bound for St. Louis.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Philip Grant Weir

    Born 1947; from Du Bois, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Kontum, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,322 records for Weir in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia2,489 records

2,489 records of the Weir name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,405
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 423
  • Other Australian records 661
  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 James Weir

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the British Sovereign, sailing from London & Dublin in 1840. Native of Belfast, Antrim. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sarah Ann Weir

    Died 1889 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 66. Will registered in Tasmania in 1889.

    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 Thomas Weir

    Arrived in Queensland in 1912 aboard the Demosthenes, aged 17.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,489 records for Weir in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada754 records

754 records of the Weir name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 557
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 50
  • Other Canadian records 147
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Weir

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Prussian, bound for Kingston, Ontario; Scotch.

    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 Mary Wood Weir

    Buried in 1984 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 96.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Nelson Weir

    Died 1922 in Windsor, Hants, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 754 records for Weir 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. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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).

United Kingdom173 records

173 records of the Weir name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 96
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 49
  • Other British records 28
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Weir

    Born 1899 at Huntly; draper. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William J. N. Weir

    Buried in 1952 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 49.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frank Kerr Weir

    Will proved in 1923; of Llanfaelog, Anglesey.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 173 records for Weir in the United Kingdom.

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

New Zealand144 records

144 records of the Weir name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 122
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 9
  • Other New Zealand records 13
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joy Doreen Weir

    Died 1996, aged 55; buried at Belfast Cemetery, 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 Peter Weir

    Buried in 1922 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 69.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record W. Weir

    New Zealand Army Service Corps. 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 144 records for Weir in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Weir name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jarvis Charles Weir

    Died 1935 in Rotterdam, aged 34.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leonardus Weir

    Buried in 1765 in Hilvarenbeek.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Weir in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Weir name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list John Weir

    From Riga. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 November 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 41).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Weir in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Weir.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Weir 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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