# Lear (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/lear/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 7,649 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,638 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 40,364 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.5% (7,689 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /lɪəɹ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Lear in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 89% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 6.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Lear in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Lear

- Edward Lear, British artist, illustrator, author and poet (1812-1888)
- Norman Lear, American television writer and producer (1922-2023)
- Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (1926-2012)
- Bailey Lear, American athlete
- Bill Lear, American businessman and inventor
- Hal Lear, American basketball player (1935–2016)

## Similar surnames

Lara, Leary, Leroy, Lehr, Lair, Lahr, Loar, Lareau, Lary, Lowery, Lowry, Lira.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.