Sears
An old English surname most often explained as meaning “son of Sear” or “son of Sayer.”
The #1,085 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,587 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sears is usually treated as a patronymic surname, formed from the personal name Sear or Sayer plus the old genitive ending -s, meaning “of Sear” or “Sear’s son.” Historical dictionaries connect it with the widespread medieval name Sayer, itself ultimately from a Norman-French personal name. Some 19th-century writers also linked it with place-name forms, but the patronymic explanation is the standard one.
History
The name appears early in English records and was later found in several English counties, especially in the east and Midlands. Historical sources note spellings such as Sare, Sayer, and Sayers alongside Sears. In modern use, Sears is best known in the English-speaking world as a common surname rather than a given-name-derived form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley explicitly glossed Sears as the genitive form of Sear, comparing it to how Williams relates to William.
From the historical record
“SEARLES, Searle'S (Son) : v. Se(a)rle. SEARS, Sear's (Son) V SEARSO N, Sear's Son / ^- ''®*'^- SEATH (Eng.) Dweller at a Pit or Pool [O.E. (Heb.) = Seth, q.v. SEATON (Eng.) Bel. to Seaton = 1 the Farm or Estate by the Sea. 2 the Farm or Estate by the Lake [O.E. s<k, sea, lake + tAn : cp. O.N. sid-tiin, ,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)