Show ContentsDeare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Deare is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It was a name given to a person who was a beloved person or as a term of endearment. The surname Deare also derived from the animal deer.

Early Origins of the Deare family

The surname Deare was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Deare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deare research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1300, 1327 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Deare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deare Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Deare has appeared include Dear, Deare, Dere, Deer, Dearie, Deir and others.

Early Notables of the Deare family

More information is included under the topic Early Deare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Deare family to Ireland

Some of the Deare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Deare migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Deare arrived in North America very early:

Deare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Anne and Darby Deare, who arrived in New England in 1637
  • Joseph Deare, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 1
  • William Deare, who landed in Virginia in 1653 1
  • John Deare, who landed in Maryland in 1663 1
  • Joseph, Thomas, and William Deare, who settled in Virginia between 1637 and 1663

New Zealand Deare 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:

Deare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Deare, (b. 1850), aged 29, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Lyttleton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1879 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Deare (post 1700) +

  • Jonathan Deare, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Council from Middlesex County, 1777-79 3
  • Henry W. Deare (b. 1825), American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County, 1863-64; Wayne County Probate Judge, 1864-68 3
  • Joseph Deare (1804-1835), English sculptor, born about 1804, nephew of John Deare (1759–1798)
  • John Deare (1759-1798), English sculptor, born in Liverpool 26 Oct. 1759, the son of a tax collector and jeweller of Castle Street


  1. 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)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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