Shearer Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Shearer last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Shearer last name
Meaning of the Shearer last name: shearer of sheep or cloth. Shearer is a Scottish and English surname for a sheep shearer, or for someone who trimmed the nap of woollen cloth, from Old English sceran, "to cut". The last name was common in Ayrshire and Northumberland. The footballer Alan Shearer made it famous in England.
Arms associated with the Shearer name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Shearer name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Shearer family history
This is only a glimpse of the Shearer story. The full Shearer history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Shearer coat of arms. Get the full Shearer report.
Shearer name FAQ
What does the Shearer name mean?
shearer of sheep or cloth. Common variants include Sharer, Sherar.
Where does the Shearer surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Australia, Canada and the United States.
Is there a Shearer coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Shearer coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).