Weir
A surname usually meaning someone who lived by a weir or dam on a river.
The #1,903 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,352 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Weir is most commonly a topographic surname from Middle English wer or weir, meaning a dam, fish trap, or barrier in a stream. The word goes back to Old English and is related to similar forms in other Germanic languages. In Scotland, some bearers also took the name from Gaelic sources, and nineteenth-century writers note that it could be an anglicized form of certain Highland surnames.
History
The name appears early in English records as a residence name for people living near a river weir. It also became established in Scotland, where writers such as Lower and Harrison mention early bearers and Gaelic anglicizations. Because of those parallel streams, modern Weir families may have either English topographic or Scottish Gaelic ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some Scottish families named Weir were said by later antiquarians to be anglicized from Gaelic surnames, not just named after a river feature.
From the historical record
“WEI NT for Went, q.v. WEIR, V. Weap(e. Note: "The M'Nairs of Cowal, &c., Anglicize their name as Weir." — MacBain, Inverness Names, p. 62. WELBORN(E ] (Eng.) Bel. to Welborne WELBOURN(E WNorf.), Welbourne (Lines), WELBURN J Welburn (N. Yorks'); or”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)