Speare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Speare surname comes from the Old English word "spere," meaning "spear." It may have originally been a nickname for a tall skinny person, or perhaps for a hunter skilled at using the spear. Alternatively, the could have been used for a "watchman or lookout man." 1 2 3

Another source notes: "Spere, to ask, to inquire; a word used formerly in Scotland and the north of Ireland." 4

Early Origins of the Speare family

The surname Speare was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland.

Further to the south in Yorkshire, England, the first record of the family was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 when Robertas Spyer was listed there at that time. 2

By the 16th century, Richard Spyre was listed as attending Oxford University in 1515; and George Speris was listed in Stirling, Scotland in 1548. 3

Early History of the Speare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Speare research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1417, 1475, 1626, 1664, 1807, 1846, 1869, 1884 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Speare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Speare Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Speir, Spier, Spears, Speirs, Spiers, Speer, Speers, Spere, Speres, Spire, Spires, Speyer, Speier, Speery and many more.

Early Notables of the Speare family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Thomas Speir of Edinburgh, a merchant, 1626. Alexander Spiers (1807-1869), the English lexicographer, was born at Gosport in Hampshire in 1807. He studied in England, in Germany, and in Paris and graduated doctor of philosophy at Leipzig. For fourteen...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Speare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Speare family to Ireland

Some of the Speare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Speare migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Speare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Speare, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 5
Robert, Speare Jr., who landed in Maryland in 1667 5

Speare migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Speare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Margaret Speare, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Osborne" in 1867

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)