Ahr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Ahr

What does the name Ahr mean?

The ancient Scottish name Ahr was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Early Origins of the Ahr family

The surname Ahr 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 Ahr family

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

Ahr Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Ahr has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Early Notables of the Ahr family

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

Migration of the Ahr family to Ireland

Some of the Ahr 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.

Ahr migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Ahr Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Nicol Ahr, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1774 1

Ahr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gottlieb Ahr, who arrived in America in 1847 1

The Ahr 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: Lighter than air

Sources +

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)