Unveiling My Ancestry: Voyages of Mears – From an English Sea to Global Boundaries
Family name Mears
Discovering the pounds of history our names carry breaks ground for profound self-connection. My iGENEA DNA test revealed a captivating backstory of my surname, Mears. Part English topographic representation, part metonymic occupational title, all compelling fabric of familial patterns and cultural reminiscences spanning out from rural England to pound global beaches, validating those strands of instinctual belonging.
Throughout history, every name has held unique significance, echoing our familial origins, cultural ties and personal lineage. My recent iGENEA DNA test did not merely provide a clearer understanding of my genetic makeup, but it also opened up an enthralling world of history and culture camouflaged behind the five letters that constitute my surname - Mears. Unmasking the roots of my ancestry gave a human form to my DNA.
Mears is believed to be of English origin, and potentially has two prominent sources. One interpretation suggests Mears as a topographic moniker for individuals residing by the lakes or the sea, originating from the Middle English ‘mere’ or the Old English ‘mære,’ both translating to lake or sea. Alternatively, it's also speculated that Mears was a metonymic occupational surname given to officials responsible for maintaining boundary signs, as 'Mears' also means boundaries in Old English.
Historically, Mears has been widely found in Surrey and Kent, two neighboring counties in the southeastern part of England. The estimates suggest the first recordings of Mears as a surname date around the late 13th, early 14th centuries. It was around this time, post-Norman conquest, that surnames became a necessity for effective taxation purposes.
Over centuries, families with the Mears surname have migrated, expanded and populated across continents, most notably in the United States and Australia. This DNA dissection has connected threads of my bloodline across oceans and centuries, bridging the present to a past that was unknowable until now.
The real beauty of this journey has been the ability to relive those narratives, embedding my personal identity right within the heart of a much grander human tale. To know that my surname Mears, may have held centuries-old conversations with the sea, or was a guardian of boundaries, holds a story of resilience, adaptation and survival. It’s an intricate tapestry of history, language, and culture that has been handed down and will continue to evolve.
F. Mears