What is "longyear"

Longyear is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Barry Longyear, (born 1942), American science fiction author and screenwriter
• John Munroe Longyear (1850–1922), the founder of Longyearbyen
• John W. Longyear (1820–1875), U.S. Representative from Michigan
• Judith Q. Longyear (1938–1995), mathematician