This interesting surname with variant spellings Tear, Tier, Teare, Teer, Teers, etc., is a patronymic from a Manx contraction of MacIntyre being an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac an tSaoir" meaning "son of the carpenter or mason". The surname dates back to the early 16th Century, (see below). Further recordings include the surname Teare (1599), "The Manx Names, London". One Margaret Tears married Dollin Cain on April 21st 1651 at Jurby, Isle of Man. Elizabeth, daughter of John and Kathrine Teers, was christened on March 4th 1720 at Holy Trinity in the Minories, London. Mary Ann, daughter of John and Mary Teares, was christened on December 2nd 1849 at Ramsey, Isle of Man, and William, son of Thomas Tears, was christened on November 4th 1860 at Santon, Isle of Man. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of M' Teare, which was dated 1504, "The Manx Names, London", during the reign of King Henry V11, known as "Henry Tudor (The last Welsh King) 1485 - 1509. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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