Surname Spearing - Meaning and Origin
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Spearing: What does the surname Spearing mean?
The last name Spearing is an English surname. It is derived from the Middle English word 'spere', which means 'spur'. This suggests that the original bearers of the Spearing surname had some type of connection with spurs. This could have been that their occupation involved manufacturing or repairing spurs for horse riders, or that they were a family of ranchers or cavalrymen requiring the use of spurs for their work.
Spearing is a locational surname, meaning that it originated from a place or geographical feature. In this case, the name could have been used to refer to someone who lived or worked near an area called Spearland or Spencer Road. There is also a village of Speering in Suffolk, which could have been the namesake for the Spearing surname.
The Spearing family continues to be widespread throughout England today. Some members of the Spearing family emigrated to new settlements in America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in search of better economic opportunities.
In summary, the surname Spearing is of English origin, possibly deriving from an occupation or location connected to the use of spurs or a place called Spearland. The Spearing family has a long history in England and members have emigrated to other countries in more recent times.
Order DNA origin analysisSpearing: Where does the name Spearing come from?
The last name Spearing is believed to have come from the Old English word “spar,” which referred to a type of pointed metal bar, such as a spear. Spearing is a very common last name throughout the English-speaking world, with a generous amount of people bearing the surname living in the United States and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, Spearing is most often found in the Midwest or the South, in states such as Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama. A larger concentration of Spearing families can be found in Scott County, Mississippi, where the surname is about 39 times more common than it is nationally.
In the United Kingdom, Spearing is also fairly common, with most Spearing families living in counties such as North Yorkshire, Lancashire, London, and East Sussex. The surname is particularly popular in Bramley, Surrey, where more than a third of the Spearing population resides.
Outside of the United States and the United Kingdom, the last name Spearing is most commonly found in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In Australia, Spearing is especially popular in the Australian Capital Territory, where Spearing families make up 3.1 percent of the total population.
Spearing is one of the more common surnames throughout the English-speaking world, with people bearing the surname scattered across the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Variations of the surname Spearing
The surname Spearing is of English origin and has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
The most common variants are Sparing, Sparling, Spearing, Speerin and Spiering. Surnames of the same origin include Speargan, Speer, Spear, Spearman, Spearpoint, Spearman, Spearow and Sporin.
Other variants of the surname Spearing include Spairing, Sparin, Sparrin, Sperin, Sperling, Spiceing and Speering. There are also surnames of the same origin such as Spiers, Spiersman, Speare, Spar, Sparke, and Spice.
The spelling of the surname Spearing can vary from country to country, often with slight alterations such as Speiran, Speere, Spieran and Speeron. In some cases the suffix '-son' may also be added to the surname, such as Spearson, Spersoon, Spiersson and Spiersson.
The surname Spearing appears to have had a derivation from the Old English 'spīr' meaning 'spire' or 'a slender spire-shaped object'. It may also have been derived from a nickname for someone of 'spry' and 'forceful' disposition, derived from the Middle English 'spīr'.
The spelling of Spearing is generally considered to have been derived from the Welsh language 'spirein' which also meant 'spire' or 'a tall, slender object'.
Famous people with the name Spearing
- Steven Spearing: a Scottish actor who has appeared in various films and television series including Skins, Vera, Black Mirror, and The Four Weddings and a Funeral.
- David Spearing: an American football player who was formerly a part of the NFL in 1975.
- Charles Spearing: an English-born American soccer player who was part of the United Soccer Association in 1967.
- John Spearing: a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, having served in the Rhode Island Regiment.
- Peggy Spearing: an American poet, playwright, and author who achieved success in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Pearl Spearing: an American harpist and composer who performed throughout the United States and in Europe during the 1950s and 1960s.
- Alberta Spearing: an American mezzo-soprano singer active in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Newton Spearing: an American politician and lawyer who served the state of Connecticut as attorney general from 1949 to 1952.
- Beverley Spearing: an Australian cricket player who represented the state of Victoria in the 1960s.
- Hugh Spearing: an American stage actor from the early 20th century.