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Syer origins of last name

Replies: 7

Syer origins of last name

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 2:05PM GMT
Classification: Query
Greetings all Syers:

I am a Canadian with the last name Sears: evolved from all the various spellings in Europe of course........

Thus I have done a great deal of research on this family name.

Syr itself is Persian in origin........being brought up through the Alps with the Celts.....into German, Danish, Dutch, Belgic and French regions.

It basically means Powerful or Magical........

It was usually attached to geographic features;like the River Syr in Belgium........goddesses, mountains and of course some men.

However by the time it reached these regions it also became mixed up in sound with the Dutch or Flemish word Sayre....

and Le Sire and Le Sueur.

The root of the word is the Latin Sutor.......one who works with patterns..........which can be cloth, leather, iron

So in Belgic regions: a Le Sire was any man in one of these trades..........

Sayre was the basic word for a basic cloth of ancient ages:
thus Sayres were cloth weavers etc......

Sooner or later Sayre and Sire became interchangeable a lot of the time: as they began to sound the same.

England from early times would not allow imports of cloth goods from France etc...........so they imported the workers: tons of Sires and Sayres......

It goes back at least to the years 1100AD if not earlier.....

There wasnt just one family or one bloodline: it was the equivalent last name of Smith.........anyone in the profession.

They were held in high regard and were very valuable to the English nobility........they got transported all over England and into Scotland for their skills.

Some ended up in Ireland and Wales as well.....

But generally speaking: the roots are Flemish or nearby.

The Suire spelling is Swiss and German: and in this case refers back to the geographical Syr as opposed to the Flemish worker Syer Sayre Zahre.

The French used Le Sueur: which mainly referred to shoemakers..........the Belgians LeSire: and were mostly ironworkers........and the Dutch and Flemmings Sayre.

Underneath it all though: is the common meaning usually of tradesman.......most of the time.

You can find Le Syrs in the south coast of England post conquest: you can find the Syrs of Colchester even earlier than that.

(PS Serre is not in this category: its the French word for land or farmer: so a Serre is a farmer)

None seem to share the same DNA.........

What they had in common was a tendency to migrate to North America........where the spellings got very mixed and mutated.

More and more the popular spelling became Sears.

Thus on our side of the pond: a big DNA adventure is underway to try and sort out the various families:
their real names and trees.

Any Syer who would like to participate can email me back: some funding is available: the cost is around $50.00 for a basic 12 marker test.

Cheers
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
aktiva 21 Dec 2010 9:05PM GMT 
JEAGH 11 Apr 2011 6:14AM GMT 
aktiva 11 Apr 2011 8:52AM GMT 
JEAGH 11 Apr 2011 10:06AM GMT 
aktiva 11 Apr 2011 10:44AM GMT 
JEAGH 11 Apr 2011 11:06PM GMT 
aktiva 11 Apr 2011 11:59AM GMT 
JEAGH 11 Apr 2011 10:54PM GMT 
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