The Bear Family Name

Bear sits within the Baer family of names, which has German roots. Its meaning, shared with Baer, is “Bear”. Records show Bear as one of the forms Baer took over time.

According to the 2010 US Census, the Bear surname had 8,252 bearers. Spanish register data show 116 residents carrying Bear as first surname, and 94 as second surname. Names that sound alike, such as Baur, Behr and Boer, are easily confused in old records.

Arms linked to Baer and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Want more than a summary? See the Bear family name pack.