Bear is used as a family name or surname in Germany, France, England. It is 4 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Bear
No. of characters: 4
Origin: Germany, France, England
Meaning:

A gentleman in Kent, some years since, rejoiced in the christian and sur-(or rather un-christian and sur-ly) names of Savage Bear. English Surname Although I do not recollect any other instance ofthis name in modern English, the nomenclature of many European countries, both personal and local, abounds with it in various forms.

A writer in Edinb. Rev. April, 1855, observes that "a proper name obtained from the bear, is still pre servedin Bernard, while Ursus and Urso are names of great antiquity. St. Ursus belongs to the V. century Ursus, Ursinus, De Ursinis, are found in England after the Conquest as names of clergymen, not unfrequently foreigners. But the Bear had ceased to exist in England so long before hereditary surnames were adopted, that traces of the old king of the nor thern forest are mainly to be found in such surnames as are derived from the names of places. Urswick, in Lancashire, is a source of such a surname." [This is a misapprehension. Urswick is more likely from eofer, Anglo-Saxon for wild-boar, and wic. Some scholars however have no faith in the derivation of one word from two lan guages). "Some of the names Berens, Berridge, Berworth, Berney, Berenham, Beresford, Berford, Berewick, Baring, Bearcroft, Bearsley, may be derived from the bear; but bere, the Anglo-Saxon for barley, which was much cultivated in early times, is a more probable etymology for most of them. On the continent, Berlin derives its name from the bear, which is the city's armorial bearing, as it is of the canton and city of Berne. The bear has been highly honoured in the Scandinavian peninsula, where many surnames compounded with Björn, indicate a derivation from him. He gave his name to Albert the Bear, Margrave of Brandenburg, who flourished early in the XII. century. At Rome, he produced the Orsini, in France, St. Ursus, and in Britain, St. Ursula, who is said to have headed the 11,000 virgins in achieving the honours of martyrdom at Cologne, and who in more recent times has been patroness of the Ursuline sisters, and of the celebrated Princess Des Ursins."

Bear is variant of Beer. The bear or boar.

Is variation of Beers. Dweller at, or in, the wood or grove.

Dweller at the sign of the bear; one thought to possess bearlike qualities. The bear was the king of beasts in the north of Europe.

Lastname is variant of Beer. Two places on the banks of the Tamar, in county of Devon, are called Beer-Alston and Beer -Ferris, while two others in Dorsetshire bear the names of Beer-Hacket and Beer-Regis.

How popular is Bear?

Bear is common in United States, Canada, Australia, England, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China, South Africa, New Zealand, Spain.

Bear is ranked 26043 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Bear bearers increased by 7.56 per cent in 2010 US census to 8252 since 2000, the surname slipped by 30 spots and ranked at 4308. The last name was found in around 3 per hundred thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 78.05 81.65
American Indian and Alaska Native 10.53 10.35
Hispanic or Latino 4.82 3.99
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 2.85 0.68
Others 2.84 2.23
Black 0.91 1.11
Bear is quite popular family name mostly used in United States however Gibraltar is ahead in terms of density. Around 20678 people have been found who wears Bear as their family name. Bear is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with ten thousands of Bear:
3,643 United States12,328
Countries with thousands of Bear:
2,122 Canada2,559
2,104 Australia1,821
Countries with hundreds of Bear:
6,993 England956
5,442 Mexico614
9,689 Saudi Arabia477
28,715 Egypt183
594 China150
33,044 South Africa149
7,008 New Zealand108
23,540 Spain104
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
86,620 France98
180,249 India86
2,603 Singapore86
5,232 Liberia74
7,051 Scotland51
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
39,900 Netherlands47
163,265 Indonesia46
3,102 Suriname45
126 Gibraltar44
219,200 Thailand41
69,250 Argentina37
12,381 Iraq37
17,423 United Arab Emirates36
7,705 Lebanon34
14,967 Kuwait29
8,358 Wales29
3,066 Hong Kong27
153,425 Philippines27
27,831 Israel26
200,051 Brazil23
57,034 Malaysia22
2,420 Vietnam18
5,218 Tunisia17
106,343 Italy14
213,815 Germany13
74,307 Papua New Guinea13
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
1,883 Fiji9
11,581 Ghana9
975 Myanmar9
8,353 Trinidad and Tobago9
36,047 Finland8
310,552 Nigeria8
138,864 Poland8
43,211 Denmark7
69,697 Switzerland7
12,899 Northern Ireland6
56,696 Romania6
18,437 Solomon Islands6
1,433 South Korea6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

During the great famine, 26 years old Mary Bear who was residing in Great Britain migrated to USA on November 5, 1846 by Fair Field put out from Liverpool. 22 years old Thomas Bear, Immigrant Jno. Bear, Immigrant Mrs Bear, Immigrant Richard Bear, 23 years old William Bear, Workman Owen Bear, Ann Bear (18) House Maid, John Bear (20) Immigrant, are others that migrated to US from Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast.

From Italy

24 years old organist Joseph Bear who was residing in Italy migrated to New York on July 11, 1884 by Belgenland put out from Antwerp.

From Germany

Baker Gg Bear from Melrungen, Germany aboard the Janet Ridston from Havre. He is registered to be 23 years old when he arrived in USA on June 24, 1852. Fanny Bear (16) Farmer, Saddler Carl Bear, Mathias Bear, Rosalio Bear, aged 22, 25 years old Bernhard Bear, 24 years old Bertha Bear, 6 months old Hanne Bear, Philip Bear, aged 1, and 10 other Bear majority of whom were merchant and others worked as tailor migrated to US from Hamburg, Bremen and London.

Bear Namesakes

  • Albert the Bear, first Margrave of Brandenburg
  • Ray Young Bear, poet and novelist
  • Big Bear, powerful and popular Cree chief
  • Standing Bear, Ponca Native American chief
  • Conquering Bear, Brulé Lakota chief
  • Sitting Bear, prestigious Kiowa warrior and medicine man
  • John Bear, American businessman
  • Lean Bear, Cheyenne peace chief
  • Greg Bear, American writer and illustrator best
  • Minus the Bear, American indie rock band
  • Elizabeth Bear,
  • Fred Bear, American bow hunter, bow manufacturer, author
  • Bart the Bear, male Alaskan Kodiak bear actor best
  • Kicking Bear, Oglala Lakota
  • Volcano the Bear, improvisational/experimental English band
  • Hollow Horn Bear, Brulé Lakota leader
  • Squirrel vs Bear, American synthpop band from Chico, California
  • Luther Standing Bear, Sicangu and Oglala Lakota chief notable
  • Glecia Bear, Saskatchewan-born traditional tale teller and a children’s writer with Freda Ahenakew

Bear Namesakes

  • Albert the Bear, first Margrave of Brandenburg
  • Ray Young Bear, poet and novelist
  • Big Bear, powerful and popular Cree chief
  • Standing Bear, Ponca Native American chief
  • Conquering Bear, Brulé Lakota chief
  • Sitting Bear, prestigious Kiowa warrior and medicine man
  • John Bear, American businessman
  • Lean Bear, Cheyenne peace chief
  • Greg Bear, American writer and illustrator best
  • Minus the Bear, American indie rock band
  • Elizabeth Bear,
  • Fred Bear, American bow hunter, bow manufacturer, author
  • Bart the Bear, male Alaskan Kodiak bear actor best
  • Kicking Bear, Oglala Lakota
  • Volcano the Bear, improvisational/experimental English band
  • Hollow Horn Bear, Brulé Lakota leader
  • Squirrel vs Bear, American synthpop band from Chico, California
  • Luther Standing Bear, Sicangu and Oglala Lakota chief notable
  • Glecia Bear, Saskatchewan-born traditional tale teller and a children’s writer with Freda Ahenakew

Related Family Names: