NameCensus.

UK surname

Shears

An occupational surname referring to someone who shears sheep or uses shears as a tool in their trade.

In the 1881 census there were 1,316 people recorded with the Shears surname, ranking it #3,116 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,925, ranked #3,316, down from #3,116 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Winterslow, Idmiston and Cardiff St John and St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torbay, Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shears is 1,973 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.3%.

1881 census count

1,316

Ranked #3,116

Modern count

1,925

2016, ranked #3,316

Peak year

2000

1,973 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shears had 1,316 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,116 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,925 in 2016, ranked #3,316.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,819 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Shears surname distribution map

The map shows where the Shears surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Shears surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shears over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 908 #3,034
1861 historical 798 #3,444
1881 historical 1,316 #3,116
1891 historical 1,447 #3,028
1901 historical 1,628 #3,176
1911 historical 1,819 #2,707
1997 modern 1,858 #3,247
1998 modern 1,947 #3,222
1999 modern 1,951 #3,241
2000 modern 1,973 #3,201
2001 modern 1,922 #3,211
2002 modern 1,942 #3,246
2003 modern 1,861 #3,294
2004 modern 1,860 #3,301
2005 modern 1,829 #3,315
2006 modern 1,862 #3,291
2007 modern 1,883 #3,278
2008 modern 1,902 #3,271
2009 modern 1,903 #3,335
2010 modern 1,962 #3,326
2011 modern 1,925 #3,343
2012 modern 1,866 #3,382
2013 modern 1,926 #3,338
2014 modern 1,934 #3,349
2015 modern 1,920 #3,333
2016 modern 1,925 #3,316

Geography

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Where Shears' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Winterslow, Idmiston, Cardiff St John and St Mary and Stranton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torbay, Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne and Teignbridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Winterslow, Idmiston Wiltshire
4 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire
5 Stranton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torbay 017 Torbay
2 Torbay 018 Torbay
3 Northumberland 008 Northumberland
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 008 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 Teignbridge 004 Teignbridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shears

These lists show first names that appear often with the Shears surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shears

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Shears, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Shears surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Shears household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Shears is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Shears is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shears falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Shears is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Shears, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Shears

The surname SHEARS is of English origin, derived from an occupational name for a person who sheared or cut cloth, a shearer. It is derived from the Old English 'sceran', meaning to cut or shear. The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with some of the earliest recorded instances found in medieval tax rolls and manorial records.

In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, there is a record of a William le Shearere. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 mention a William Shere. These early spellings highlight the variations in the name's spelling over time, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations.

The SHEARS surname is also associated with the village of Sheers in Staffordshire, which may have influenced the name's development in certain areas. Records from the 14th century refer to individuals from this location, such as John de Sheres, mentioned in the Wills at Chester from 1392.

Notable individuals bearing the SHEARS surname include: 1. Robert Shears (c. 1510-1577), an English churchman who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1567 until his death. 2. William Shears (1590-1668), an English clergyman and religious writer who authored several works, including "A Treatise on the Second Coming of Christ" (1649). 3. John Shears (1678-1754), a British merchant and philanthropist who established the Shears Charity School in Dorset in 1723. 4. Benjamin Shears (1768-1834), an English engraver and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. 5. Elizabeth Shears (1815-1892), a British naturalist and writer who published several books on botany and natural history in the mid-19th century.

The SHEARS surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Sheers Green in Buckinghamshire, Shears Bridge in Worcestershire, and Shears Mill in Somerset, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name across different regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shears families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shears surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 261 Shears' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.03x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 261 2.03x
Devon 214 8.00x
Hampshire 137 5.20x
Surrey 117 1.87x
Wiltshire 72 6.34x
Somerset 59 2.85x
Yorkshire 58 0.46x
Cornwall 53 3.64x
Pembrokeshire 41 10.04x
Lancashire 33 0.22x
Dorset 30 3.56x
Warwickshire 27 0.83x
Kent 26 0.59x
Glamorgan 24 1.07x
Hertfordshire 23 2.60x
Northamptonshire 19 1.57x
Gloucestershire 17 0.67x
Norfolk 15 0.76x
Durham 13 0.34x
Sussex 11 0.51x
Northumberland 9 0.47x
Leicestershire 8 0.56x
Midlothian 6 0.35x
Berkshire 5 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.52x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.77x
Essex 4 0.16x
Herefordshire 4 0.76x
Oxfordshire 4 0.50x
Suffolk 4 0.26x
Worcestershire 4 0.24x
Derbyshire 3 0.15x
Renfrewshire 2 0.20x
Royal Navy 2 1.31x
Channel Islands 1 0.26x
Cheshire 1 0.04x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.39x
Staffordshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Winterslow in Wiltshire leads with 49 Shears' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1286.09x.

Place Total Index
Winterslow 49 1286.09x
Brixham 37 119.39x
Hackney London 27 3.75x
Islington London 26 2.09x
Andover 21 84.41x
Stoke Damerel 21 11.22x
Aston 20 2.24x
Southampton St Mary 20 12.08x
Fulham London 18 9.66x
Lambeth 18 1.61x
Tormoham 18 15.91x
Mile End Old Town 17 8.38x
St Austell 17 34.20x
Lympston 15 313.81x
Newington 15 3.16x
Poplar London 15 6.19x
Whitby 15 34.97x
Chelsea London 14 3.62x
Shoreditch London 13 2.33x
St Florence 13 872.48x
Calstock 12 42.08x
Malborough 12 112.89x
St Budeaux 12 144.23x
Holy Trinity 11 3.59x
Kensington London 11 1.54x
Limehouse London 11 7.80x
Farnham 10 20.54x
Idmiston 10 393.70x
Pembroke St Mary 10 19.02x
Broughton 9 226.13x
Clifton 9 7.07x
Dunsford 9 263.16x
Monkleigh 9 379.75x
Roade 9 283.91x
Brighton 8 1.83x
Chalbury 8 860.22x
Chipping Barnet 8 51.65x
Clerkenwell London 8 2.64x
Cramlington 8 31.67x
Croydon 8 2.30x
Great Yarmouth 8 4.89x
Horton In Bradford 8 4.02x
Pembroke St Michael 8 135.36x
Send Ripley 8 98.04x
Shanklin 8 101.91x
St Luke London 8 3.88x
St Marylebone London 8 1.17x
Batcombe 7 256.41x
Battersea 7 1.48x
Bishopstoke 7 103.55x
Grately 7 619.47x
Heston 7 16.41x
Holdenhurst 7 10.13x
Hornsey 7 4.31x
Llanedarn 7 673.08x
Plymouth St Andrew 7 3.40x
Preston 7 1.72x
Rugby 7 15.97x
Salisbury St Edmund 7 38.38x
St Albans St Stephen 7 90.44x
St George In East 7 8.01x
St Giles 7 29.34x
Wells St Cuthbert 7 49.61x
Willesden 7 5.78x
Wimborne 7 68.63x
Woking 7 18.55x
Aldershot 6 6.80x
Ashby De La Zouch 6 18.17x
Bethnal Green London 6 1.08x
Cheltenham 6 3.09x
Davidstow 6 335.20x
Exeter St Mary Major 6 37.22x
Greenwich 6 2.93x
Manaton 6 410.96x
Romsey Infra 6 67.26x
Sherborne 6 24.16x
South Crosland 6 44.78x
St James Garlickhithe 6 612.24x
St Peter Cheesehill 6 161.29x
Walcot 6 5.45x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Shears surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 81
Elizabeth 45
Sarah 36
Eliza 32
Jane 28
Ann 27
Ellen 23
Annie 22
Emma 20
Alice 19
Susan 19
Martha 16
Florence 14
Emily 12
Hannah 12
Louisa 12
Maria 12
Margaret 10
Caroline 8
Clara 7
Edith 7
Fanny 7
Frances 7
Ada 6
Catherine 6
Charlotte 6
Rose 6
Amelia 5
Bessie 5
Elizth. 5
Kate 5
Agnes 4
Gertrude 4
Harriet 4
Jessie 4
Matilda 4
Maud 4
Minnie 4
Anne 3
Grace 3
Harriett 3
Helen 3
Laura 3
Lilly 3
Lizzie 3
Marion 3
Rosa 3
Selina 3
Sophia 3
Dinah 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Shears surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 99
George 64
John 64
Thomas 49
James 34
Charles 30
Henry 27
Alfred 17
Frederick 17
Richard 15
Robert 15
Samuel 15
Arthur 12
Edwin 12
Albert 11
Christopher 10
Frank 9
Walter 9
Edward 7
Harry 7
Francis 6
Herbert 5
Joseph 5
Fredk. 4
Philip 4
Augustus 3
Benjamin 3
Earnest 3
Edmund 3
Ernest 3
Jno. 3
Jonathan 3
Thos. 3
Tom 3
Andrew 2
Arnold 2
Daniel 2
Edgar 2
Fred 2
Harold 2
Jesse 2
Michael 2
Phillip 2
Sidney 2
Willie 2
Brice 1
Charlie 1
Elias 1
Fred.G. 1
Wm.Robt. 1

FAQ

Shears surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shears surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,316 people were recorded with the Shears surname. That placed it at #3,116 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shears surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,925 in 2016. That gives Shears a modern rank of #3,316.

What does the Shears surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who shears sheep or uses shears as a tool in their trade.

What does the Shears map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Shears bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.