Contents [hide]

Ayers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Ayers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The surname Ayers was most likely brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French "eir," which is itself derived from the Latin "heres," meaning "heir." 1 2 3

Two other sources elude to the Norman influence of the name: "Eyre: is a place-name in Normandy," 4 and the name is "from Le Heir, Heres. William and Wyrnarc Heres occur in Normandy 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae)." 5

Early Origins of the Ayers family

The surname Ayers was first found in Derbyshire, where the ancestral home of the main branch of the Ayers family is thought to be located. Early written records of the name Ayers have been found in many counties, notably Derbyshire, Wiltshire, and Shropshire.

The Feet of Fines for Essex for 1208 includes an entry for Ralph le Eir and later, Robertus Heres was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1220. In Cambridgeshire, we found Robert leyre in the Feet of Fines for 1245 and in Gloucestershire, Richard le Heyer was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls for 1274. In Yorkshire, early records show Adam le Hayre at Wakefield in 1275 and a few years later, Robert le Heir was listed at Eynsham, Oxfordshire in 1281. 6

In the early legends of the Eyre family, it was recounted that a Knight named Eyre who fought with Richard the Lionheart at the Battle of Ascalon during the Crusades lost a leg while defending his King, which is why the family still bears a booted leg in its crest. 2

Another source, mentions that the traditional origin of the name was in circumstance of a Norman knight having at the Battle of Hastings succoured (helped) duke William of Normandy and given him air when he was in danger of suffocation. 7

"The Eyres appear as witnesses to charters in the Peak of Derbyshire in the remotest period to which private charters ascend. The first of the name known is William le Eyre, of Hope, in the reign of Henry III." 8

The chapel in Great Longstone, Derbyshire contains monuments to the "family of Eyre, earls of Newburgh." 9

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include entries for: Henry le Eyer, Oxfordshire; Adam le Eyr, Cambridgeshire; and William le Eyre, Cambridgeshire. 1

Early History of the Ayers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayers research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1216, 1582, 1585, 1628, 1635, 1638, 1657, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1665, 1666, 1670, 1678, 1680, 1689, 1693, 1695, 1698, 1700, 1701, 1705, 1712, 1715, 1729, 1735 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Ayers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Eyre, Eyer, Eyers, Eayres, Eyres, Ayer, Ayers,Heyer, Ayr, Air, Aires, Hyer, Hayer, Hoyer and many more.

Early Notables of the Ayers family

Notables of the family at this time include John Ayer (1582-1657), an English settler to Massachusetts sailing aboard the ship James in 1635, settling in Ipswich, Haverhill, and Salisbury, born in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Henry Eyre (1628-1678), was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1678; Sir Giles Eyre (c. 1635-1695), was an English politician and judge, Member of Parliament for Downton (1660-1661), and Salisbury in 1689. Sir Samuel Eyre (1638-1698), was an English judge; and his son, Sir Robert Eyre (1666-1735), an English lawyer, Solicitor-General and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. John Ayres (fl. 1680-1700)...
Another 162 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ayers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayers Ranking

In the United States, the name Ayers is the 677^th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 10

Migration of the Ayers family to Ireland

Some of the Ayers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 119 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayers migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ayers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Ayers and Mary Ayers, age 15, who arrived in Boston in 1635
John Ayers, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "James" in 1635 11
Robert Ayers, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1664

Ayers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Ayers, aged 53, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
Clinton P. Ayers, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1893

Ayers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Clinton P. Ayers, aged 45, who landed in America from Belfast, in 1903
Carrie Ayers, aged 35, who landed in America from London, in 1903
Amy Ayers, aged 5, who settled in America from Cornwall, in 1903
Beatrice Ayers, aged 25, who landed in America from Cornwall, in 1903
Clara Ayers, aged 22, who landed in America from Glasgow, in 1904
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ayers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Roger Ayers who settled in Port de Grave, Newfoundland in 1681 12

Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Ayers, who settled in Bonavista, Newfoundland in 1708 12

Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Arthur Frank Ayers, aged 57, who immigrated to Stamford, Canada, in 1911

Ayers migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ayers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Ayers, English convict who was convicted in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Samuel Ayers, British convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
Henry Ayers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 15
Anne Ayers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 15

Ayers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ayers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. A. Ayers, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 16
Mrs. Ayers, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 16
Miss Alice Ayers, (b. 1865), aged 18, Cornish general servant departing on 27th September 1883 aboard the ship "Trevelyan" going to Invercargill, New Zealand arriving in port on 30th December 1883 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayers (post 1700) +

Howard Edmonds "Doc" Ayers (1922-2020), American football coach from Toccoa, Georgia
Sterling Haskel "Hack" Ayers (1936-2020), American auctioneer and politician, Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1967-1970)
Demarcus Ayers (b. 1994), American football wide receiver
William Charles "Bill" Ayers (b. 1944), American elementary education theorist
Rufus A. Ayers (1849-1926), Virginia lawyer, Attorney General of Virginia
Alvino Dorrance "A.D." Ayers (1850-1921), American Major League Baseball umpire
John G. K. Ayers (1837-1913), American Union Army soldier, who received a Medal of Honor on August 31 1895 for Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party"
Edward L. Ayers (b. 1953), American historian
Roy Ayers (b. 1940), American funk, soul and jazz vibraphone player
D. C. Ayers, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1868 18
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ayers family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Dee Cumpie Ayers, American Seaman Second Class from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 19

The Ayers Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus sola invicta
Motto Translation: Virtue alone is invincible.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairfield.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html