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Dear Family History

Dear Name Meaning

from the Middle English personal name Dere, Old English Deora, in part a short form of various compound names formed with deore ‘dear’, in part a byname meaning ‘beloved’, or deor ‘brave’, ‘bold’. nickname from Middle English dere, Old English deor ‘wild animal’, or from the adjective of the same form, meaning ‘wild’, ‘fierce’. By the Middle English period the adjective was falling out of use, and the noun was beginning to be restricted to the sense of modern English deer, so that this may be the sense behind the surname in some cases.

Similar surnames: Bear, Pear, Dean, Hearn, Lear, Day, Fear, Deer, Kear, Deary

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Where is the Dear family from?

You can see how Dear families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dear family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dear families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 8 Dear families living in Mississippi. This was about 32% of all the recorded Dear's in USA. Mississippi had the highest population of Dear families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dear surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Dear

What did your Dear ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Dear | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer
18%
Farmer
16%
Salesman
10%
Truck Driver
3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife
9%
Clerk
8%
Laundress
7%
Saleslady
6%

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What Dear family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 73,000 census records available for the last name Dear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search US census records for Dear
Passenger Lists
There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Dear. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Dear immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Dear. For the veterans among your Dear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Dear military records

Census Records

There are 73,000 census records available for the last name Dear. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dear census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Dear

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Dear. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Dear immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Dear. For the veterans among your Dear ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dear military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dear family history

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What is the average Dear lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Dear life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Dear in 1944 was 23, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dear