Show ContentsAyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The chronicles of the Ayer family show that the name was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a person who lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Early Origins of the Ayer family

The surname Ayer was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where the family has held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first on record was Reginald Ayr, who was Clerk of Ayr in 1287 and Albinus Ayr had a charter of lands from King Robert the Bruce in 1315.

Early History of the Ayer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayer research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1522, 1567, 1638 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Ayer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayer Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Ayer has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Early Notables of the Ayer family

More information is included under the topic Early Ayer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayer Ranking

In the United States, the name Ayer is the 7,630th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Ayer family to Ireland

Some of the Ayer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ayer migration to the United States +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Ayer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Ayer, who was on record in Massachusetts in 1635
  • Simon Ayer, his wife Dorothy and their eight children, who all settled in Massachusetts in 1635
  • John Ayer, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1640
  • Henry Ayer, who immigrated to Rhode Island in 1655
  • Peter Ayer, who settled in New England in 1666

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayer (post 1700) +

  • Nathaniel Davis Ayer (1887-1952), American (British born) composer of popular music
  • David Ayer (b. 1968), American screenwriter
  • Fred M. Ayer, American Republican politician, Member of Alaska Territorial Senate 2nd District, 1923-26 2
  • Francis B. Ayer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1868 2
  • F Wayland Ayer, American Republican politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for New Jersey, 1912 2
  • Edward Perkins Ayer (1862-1935), American Republican politician, Minister; Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Easton, 1902 2
  • Donald B. Ayer (b. 1949), American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, 1981-86 2
  • David Andrew Ayer (b. 1953), American Republican politician, Mechanic; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 2004 2
  • Daniel Ayer, American politician, Representative from New York 17th District, 1876 2
  • B. Frederick Ayer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1960 2
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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