Lear
Lear is a name with a single cultural origin: Literature.
- Literature
Meaning & Origin of Lear
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lear is a name with a single cultural origin: Literature.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Literature
The Story of Lear
As a girl name
Lear first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1886, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1920: 23 births, good for #1,751 nationwide. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 28% of all recorded Lears. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1966 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 491 Lears have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Lear as a boy name dates back to 1997, when 5 babies received it. 2015 was its biggest year on record, with 7 newborns named Lear — #9,567 in the national rankings. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 69% of all recorded Lears. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2015 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 36 Lears have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Lear
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lear. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Leir
Names that sound like Lear
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lear is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Lier
- Leer
- Lir
- Leir
- Lyr
- Leere
- Llyr
- Lair
- Lare
- Laire
- Lere
- Lehr
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lear
What does the name Lear mean?
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How popular is Lear in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Lear most popular?
Is Lear a unisex name?
What names go well with Lear?
What are nicknames or variants of Lear?
About the name Lear
Lear is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1886 and has accumulated 491 births in the dataset. Lear's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #1,751. Use the chart and map above to compare Lear's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.