WEIR tribes around the world

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WEIR Family History

This interesting and unusual name, with variant spellings Wear, Were, Where etc. derives from two possible origins. Firstly, it may be topographical for a dweller by a dam, or keeper of a fishing-weir, from the Old English word "wer", weir, dam, fish-trap. It may also be topographic for someone who lived by the North English river "Wear", called "Vedra" in Ptolemy's "Geographina", a Celtic word meaning simply water. Finally the name is also found in Scotland where it is believed to be of Norman origin from various places in Calvados, Manche, Eure-et-Loire and Orne called "Vere", ultimately from the Old Norse element "Ver", dam...

Who have we missed?

Tell us about any famous WEIR (or surname variant) you think we should add here. We will get our genealogists to check them out and add them to the list. Thanks!