Show ContentsTier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The first family to use the name Tier lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a carpenter or wright. The Gaelic form Mac an t-saoir means son of the carpenter. Most historians agree that their earliest habitations were on MacDonald territories on Kintyre. Most legends about their beginnings point to an origin in the Hebrides. From this point on, opinions differ. One legend has the Clan-an-t-Saor (Children of the Carpenter) arriving in Lorne in a galley with a white cow, another says that the galley, set adrift, developed a leak below the water line and the MacDonald Chieftain placed his thumb in the hole to keep the boat afloat. Spotting help at a distance, he cut off his thumb so that he could wave. He was ironically named the Carpenter or MacIntyre. Some claim that the family derived its name from a member of the MacDonalds who was called Cean-tire because of his ownership of lands on the peninsula of Kintyre.

Early Origins of the Tier family

The surname Tier was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where according legend, Maurice or Murdock, The Wright, (c.1150) became the first MacIntyre chief as a reward for helping his uncle, Somerled, King of Argyll and the Western Isles.

Early History of the Tier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tier research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1597, 1890, 1955 and 1991 are included under the topic Early Tier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tier Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Tier include MacIntyre, MacIntire, MacIntre and many more.

Early Notables of the Tier family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Tier family to Ireland

Some of the Tier family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 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 Tier migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Tier were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

Tier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Tier, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 [1]
Tier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Daniel Tier, who landed in New York in 1769 [1]
Tier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Tier, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 [1]
  • Thomas J Tier, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Tier (post 1700) +

  • Nigel Tier, English silver and bronze medalist badminton player at the 1985 IBF World Championships and the 1986 Commonwealth Games


The Tier 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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through difficulties.


  1. 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)


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