It was first mentioned in 1305 as Beerse, and means "fenced off hunting area". Bears is a
terp (artificial living hill) village. The
Protestant church of Bears dates from the 13th century. The Uniastate was a
stins of the Unia family. The estate was demolished in 1756, and only the gate house has remained. A steel framed replica of the estate was built in the 1990, and has an observation tower in the middle to view the landscape. Before 2018, the village was part of the
Littenseradiel municipality. ==Notable buildings==