Where Does the Speir Surname Come From?

Ask a genealogist about Speir and the first name they will mention is Speer. Name scholars give the meaning as “A spear-related name”.

Speir coat of arms

Arms linked to Speer and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

How the spelling arose

Only a small detail separates the spellings: Speir has “i” where Speer has “e”. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.

In the 2010 US Census, 1,335 Americans gave Speir as their last name (rank 20,037). Get the complete Speir report, with a museum-style coat of arms.