Explore the Family Name Kear

The meaning of Kear

English (Gloucestershire): occupational name for a locksmith, from Middle English keyer, kayer ‘key-maker, locksmith’ (Old English cǣgere, a derivative of cǣg ‘key’).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kear in the United States?

According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kear has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. The ranking of this surname rose from 16,838 in 2000 to 13,491 in 2010, a change of 19.88%. In terms of count, there was a 44.36% increase, with the number of individuals bearing this surname growing from 1,560 in 2000 to 2,252 in 2010. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also saw an increase, moving from 0.58 to 0.76, a change of 31.03%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#16,838	#13,491	19.88%
Count	1,560	2,252	44.36%
Proportion per 100k	0.58	0.76	31.03%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kear

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diverse range associated with the surname Kear. In 2010, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, at 87.52%, although this showed a decrease of 3.16% from 2000. The second largest ethnic identity was Asian/Pacific Islander, which grew by 88.71%, from 1.86% in 2000 to 3.51% in 2010. The Black community also saw a notable growth of 40.40%, increasing their share to 3.51% in 2010. On the other hand, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic decreased slightly, while the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native and those identifying with two or more races both saw increases.

	2000	2010	Change
White	90.38%	87.52%	-3.16%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.86%	3.51%	88.71%
Black	2.5%	3.51%	40.4%
Hispanic	3.46%	3.37%	-2.6%
Two or More Races	1.41%	1.6%	13.48%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.38%	0.49%	28.95%