2000
#3,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,706
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.60
Uncommon Last name
Mears
An English occupational surname for someone who inspected and assessed the quality of cloth, derived from the Anglo-French "meyre."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,839 Americans carry the last name Mears. That puts it at #3,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mears surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mears with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,622
Census rank
#3,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,452 bearers of the surname Mears in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mears, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mears
The surname Mears is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "mere" which referred to a boundary or a lake. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a boundary or a body of water.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Mears can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties of England, particularly in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Devon. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Robert de la Mere, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272, and William atte Mere, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings such as Mere, Mer, Meare, and Meares, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. The spelling "Mears" became more widespread in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names derived from the word "mere," such as Mere in Wiltshire and Mere in Cheshire.
One notable individual who bore the surname Mears was Richard Mears (1573-1638), a member of the Virginia Company of London, who played a significant role in the early colonization efforts of Virginia in the 17th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Mears was John Mears (1758-1826), a British engineer and inventor who is credited with designing and constructing several notable bridges and canals in England, including the Caledonian Canal in Scotland.
In the literary world, Martha Mears (1892-1978) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for her works that explored themes of rural life and the American South.
Sir Robert Mears (1883-1968) was a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Bristol in the early 20th century.
Lastly, George Mears (1866-1933) was a British architect and designer who played a pivotal role in the Arts and Crafts movement, designing several notable buildings and furniture pieces in the distinctive Arts and Crafts style.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mears
Among Census respondents with the surname Mears, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mears bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mears surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 7,957
- Black or African American6.5% · 612
- Two or more races4.3% · 403
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mears
Mears appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,988
+282 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.39
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#3,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,452
-536 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,368 | 9,706 | 3.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,569 | 9,988 | 3.39 | +282 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #3,660 | 9,452 | 3.16 | -536 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 91 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mears surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,569 | #3,660 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,988 | 9,452 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.39 | 3.16 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mears bearers went from 9,988 to 9,452 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,569 to #3,660.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mears
FAQ
Mears surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mears?
Name Census estimates that about 10,839 living Americans carry the surname Mears. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,622 residents.
How common is Mears?
Mears ranks #3,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,452 people with the surname Mears. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,839), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mears.
Has Mears become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mears went from 9,988 recorded bearers to 9,452. That is a decrease of 536 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,569 to #3,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Mears?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mears, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mears in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (7,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mears appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mears (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mears mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who inspected and assessed the quality of cloth, derived from the Anglo-French "meyre." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mears (3.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Mears?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.