Mears History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Mears surname is thought to derive from either the Old English word "mere," meaning "pond," or from "maere," which meant "boundary." In either case, the name was probably topographic, taken on by someone who lived near one these features.
Early Origins of the Mears family
The surname Mears was first found in Somerset at Meare, a village and civil parish in the union of Wells, hundred of Glaston-Twelve-Hides, north west of Glastonbury. Nearby is Meare Lake Village, the site of an Iron Age settlement. The Abbot's Fish House was built in the 14th century when Adam of Sodbury was the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey. One of the first records of the place name was as Mere, which was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 The place name literally means "place at the pool or lake." 2
Ancient rolls include various early spellings: Robert atte Mere was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1269 and Adam del Mere was recorded in Yorkshire in 1307. 3
Early History of the Mears family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mears research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1659 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Mears History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mears Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Meares, Mear, Mears, Meer, Meere and others.
Early Notables of the Mears family
More information is included under the topic Early Mears Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mears Ranking
In the United States, the name Mears is the 4,124th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Mears family to Ireland
Some of the Mears family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mears migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Mears Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Robert Mears, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 5
- John Mears, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 5
Mears Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Mears, who landed in America in 1794 5
Mears Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Jeames Mears, who landed in America in 1807 5
- Thomas Mears, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 5
- Caroline Mears, aged 16, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1838 5
- John Mears, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 5
- Frank Mears, aged 27, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1868 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mears migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Mears Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Francis Mears, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
- Francis Mears, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Eliza Mears, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mears Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Mr. James Mears, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but he died on board 6
Mears migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Mears Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Miss Mary Mears, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
- Mr. Henry Mears, (b. 1803), aged 18, English labourer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1855 8
- Miss Ellen Mears, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- George Mears, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1846 10
- Mr. William Mears, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mears 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:
Mears Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Mears, aged 39, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
- Susannah Mears, aged 43, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
- Elizabeth Mears, aged 16, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
- William Mears, aged 15, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
- Jane Mears, aged 14, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Mears (post 1700) +
- Walter R. Mears (1935-2022), American journalist, author, and teacher who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977
- Thomas Mears (1775-1832), American-born, Canadian businessman and politician in Upper Canada
- Ray Mears (1926-2007), American collegiate basketball coach at Wittenberg University (1957-1962) and the University of Tennessee (1963-1977)
- Rick Ravon Mears (b. 1951), retired American race car driver, four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race
- John Henry Mears (1878-1956), American Broadway producer and adventurer
- Helen Farnsworth Mears (1872-1916), American sculptor
- Casey Mears (b. 1978), American NASCAR race driver
- William C. Mears, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 3rd District, 1978 12
- William Mears, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1888 12
- William Mears, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Illinois, 1813-19; Illinois State Attorney General, 1819-21 12
- ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 89)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Hooghly.htm
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html