Explore the Family Name Sears
The meaning of Sears
1. Irish (Kerry): Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Saoghair ‘son of Saoghar’, a borrowing in Anglo-Norman Ireland of the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Saher, Seier (Old French Seheri), from ancient Germanic Sigeheri, Sighari, composed of the elements sig ‘victory’ + hari, heri ‘army’. See Sayer 5. 2. English: variant of Sayers. 3. Americanized form of French (or French Canadian) Cyr and French Saint-Cyr (see St. Cyr), with the addition of excrescent -s, a common feature of Americanized surnames. History: Richard Sears came to Plymouth, MA, from England c.1630.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sears in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Sears experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Sears was the 1,019th most popular surname in the United States with 31,387 individuals carrying this name. By 2010, it had fallen to the 1,085th rank despite the number of people bearing the surname increasing to 32,206. This represents an approximate decrease in popularity of 6.48% over the decade, and a growth by 2.61% in the count of people with this surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,019 | #1,085 | -6.48% |
| Count | 31,387 | 32,206 | 2.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.64 | 10.92 | -6.19% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sears
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Sears also shifted between 2000 and 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of individuals with the Sears surname identified as White in both years; however, there was a slight decrease from 84.68% in 2000 to 83.36% in 2010. During the same period, those identifying as Hispanic experienced the largest increase, surging by 42.04%, followed by Asian/Pacific Islander with an increase of 30.23%. People identifying with two or more races also increased by 24.85%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black individuals with the Sears surname remained relatively stable, increasing slightly by 0.92%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a minor rise of 1.20%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.68% | 83.36% | -1.56% |
| Black | 10.85% | 10.95% | 0.92% |
| Hispanic | 1.57% | 2.23% | 42.04% |
| Two or More Races | 1.65% | 2.06% | 24.85% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.83% | 0.84% | 1.2% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.43% | 0.56% | 30.23% |
Sears ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sears is British & Irish, which comprises 54.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.1%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.3% |
| French & German | 24.1% |
| Scandinavian | 3.7% |
| Other | 17.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Sears
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sears have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
What Sears haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sears is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z8 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Shepherd, Wilkins, Weber, Beck, Weaver, Bowers, Knight, Ziegler, Abbott, Eckert.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sears surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Sears have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Sears" Surname 44.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Sears" Surname 21.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sears" Surname 22.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sears" Surname 18.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sears?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sears are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition