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Show ContentsByers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The roots of the Byers family are in the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. The Byers family lived in or near the place named Byers in Scotland. The place-name, Byers, derives from the Old English word byre, which means cattle shed. 1 Thus, Byers is of two derivations, topographical and habitational.

Alternatively, the name could have been Norman in origin originating a "the chateau of Biars in the canton of Isigni, La Manche, Normandy. " 2 3

Early Origins of the Byers family

The surname Byers was first found in East Lothian, where they held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first records of the name related to the place name as in David de Lindsay the younger, also called David Lindsay of the Byres (died 1279), a 13th century Scottish knight and crusader. John de Pyres appears as a monk of Neubotle in 1309. Thome de Byris owned a tenement in Edinburgh in 1392, and in 1534 Thomas Byrs was admitted burgess of Aberdeen. 4 Today, Byres Road is a famous street located in Hillhead, Glasgow.

In England, the first record of the family was found in Devon where Elias de la Byare was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. A few years later, Willelmus del Byre was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301 and later again, John Buyres was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 5

Early History of the Byers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byers research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1392, 1534, 1593, 1639, 1653, 1681, 1690, 1694, 1733, 1750, 1790, 1817 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Byers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byers Spelling Variations

Boernician names that evolved in the largely preliterate Middle Ages are often marked by considerable spelling variations. Byers has been spelled Byers, Byres, Byer, Buyers, Byris and others.

Early Notables of the Byers family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • James Byers or Byres (1733-1817), Scottish architect and archaeologist, died at his seat Tonley, in the parish of Tough, Aberdeenshire, on 3 Sept. 1817, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. During a...

Byers Ranking

In the United States, the name Byers is the 952nd most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 6

Ireland Migration of the Byers family to Ireland

Some of the Byers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Byers migration to the United States +

Some of the Boernician-Scottish Clan families who came to North America were Loyalists who went north to Canada after the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border went on to found two of the world's great nations. This century, families with Scottish roots have rediscovered their heritage through highland games and clan societies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Byers or a variant listed above:

Byers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Will Byers, who settled in Georgia in 1734
Byers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Byers, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 7
  • Robert Byers, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 7
  • C. Byers, who settled in Baltimore in 1822
  • David D Byers, who landed in New York, NY in 1830 7
  • John Byers, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1848 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Byers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Byers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Lt. William Byers U.E. who settled in Charlottenburgh, Glengarry Township, Ontario c. 1783 8
Byers Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Byers, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sesostris" departing 14th May 1847 from Londonderry, Ireland; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but he died on board 9
  • Mr. William Byers who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Herald" departing 20th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 16th June 1847 but he died on board 9
  • Helena Byers, who landed in Manitoba in 1880

Australia Byers migration to Australia +

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

Byers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Byers, (b. 1803), aged 30, English accountant who was convicted in London, England for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1859 10
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Byers, (b. 1821), aged 16, Irish needle woman who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • William Byers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "City Of Adelaide" in 1839 12
  • John Byers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 13
  • Margaret Byers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Byers 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:

Byers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Byers, (b. 1836), aged 27, British carpenter travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 14
  • George Byers, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glenlora" in 1873
  • John Byers, aged 24, a ploughman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879
  • Ann Byers, aged 24, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Byers (post 1700) +

  • Verne Byers (1918-2008), born Vincent LeRoy Beyer, an American bandleader and promoter, known for having brought The Beatles to Denver
  • Nina Byers (b. 1930), American theoretical physicist, Research Professor and Professor of Physics emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA
  • John Winford Byers (1875-1966), American architect who worked almost exclusively in Santa Monica, California
  • Horace Robert Byers (1906-1998), American meteorologist who pioneered in aviation meteorology
  • Eben McBurney Byers (1880-1932), wealthy American socialite, athlete, and industrialist who won the 1906 U.S. Amateur who died from multiple radiation-induced cancers after consuming a popular patent medicine made from radium
  • James Byers, American shipowner, merchant and sealer from New York who sent a four-vessel sealing fleet to the South Shetland Islands in 1820-21, eponym of Byers Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
  • Lieutenant-General Clovis Ethelbert Byers (1899-1973), American Commandant of NATO Defense College Paris (1955-1957) 15
  • James Byers (1733-1817), Scottish architect and archæologist who died at his seat Tonley, in the parish of Tough, Aberdeenshire, on 3 Sept. 1817, in the eighty-fourth year of his age 16
  • Joseph Austen Byers, Canadian judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia
  • Stephen John Byers (b. 1953), British politician, Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001-2002), Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1998-2001), Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1998)
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Mrs. Emma  Byers (1869-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17
  • Miss Elsie  Byers (1906-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17

Suggested Readings for the name Byers +

  • Bynum and Baynham Families of America 1616-1850 by William Baird.
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. 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)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 67)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CITY OF ADELAIDE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839CityOfAdelaide.htm
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Fairfield.htm
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Clovis Byers. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Byers/Clovis_Ethelbert/USA.html
  16. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019
  17. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
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