Baer
A surname with several roots, most often either German for "bear" or a Germanic word for "farm" or "dwelling."
The #2,192 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,614 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Baer can be a variant spelling of German Bär, meaning "bear," and the historical sources also connect it with Dutch and German forms like Behr and Bear. In some cases it may instead reflect a place-name or a dialect word related to a farm or house, from Old Norse and Low German forms such as baer or byr. Because the spelling was often fluid, the same surname could arise from more than one source in different families.
History
The name is found in German-speaking and Dutch-speaking areas, and later turns up in English-speaking records through immigration and spelling variation. American surname writers also note common Anglicized spellings such as Bear, Bare, and Bair. The same written form may therefore represent different family origins depending on place and time.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 20th-century surname study notes that Baer could produce several English spellings, especially Bear, Bare, and Bair.
From the historical record
“Beor ; D. Bjerre ; D.B. Bere ; Dch., FI. Beer, Behr ; G. Behr ; p.n. Or Baer; a loc. n., Belg.; FI. ref., Lond. 1618 Bearchell. From Bircholt (?) ; a loc. n., Kent Bearcroft. A loc. n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)Notable people named Baer
- Karl Ernst von Baer (1792–1876)
- Ralph H. Baer (1922–2014)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.