Show ContentsAird History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the name Aird are found among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. Aird was originally found in Ayrshire. Aird is a very small village, in the parish of Inch, county of Wigton and in the late 1800s had only 18 inhabitants. [1]

Early Origins of the Aird family

The surname Aird 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. There are two possible origins of the surname: from Aird near Hurlford, Ayrshire; or from Aird, a village, in the parish of Inch, county of Wigton. [2] As mentioned above, the latter village had only 18 inhabitants [1] in a reference dated 1846, one must agree with Black that the family likely came from the village near Hurlford. "The Airds of Holl and the Airds of Nether Catrine in Ayrshire were ranked as old families." [2]

Early History of the Aird family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aird research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1526, 1687, 1696, 1697, 1833, 1902 and 1911 are included under the topic Early Aird History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aird Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Aird has appeared as Aird, Ard, Ayrd and others.

Early Notables of the Aird family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • William Aird of Holl


United States Aird migration to the United States +

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:

Aird Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Aird, who landed in Mississippi in 1895 [3]
Aird Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Annie Aird, aged 42, who landed in America from Paisley, Scotland, in 1907
  • Elizabeth Aird, aged 16, who landed in America from Paisley, Scotland, in 1907
  • Francis Aird, aged 40, who landed in America from Glasgow, in 1907
  • Catherine Aird, aged 2, who settled in America from Bensley, Scotland, in 1909
  • Agnes Aird, aged 5, who landed in America from Bensley, Scotland, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Aird migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Aird Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Amy F. Aird, aged 50, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1910
  • Eleanor Aird, aged 50, who immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1910
  • Esther Aird, aged 21, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1913
  • Eleanor L. Aird, aged 58, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1918
  • Alison Aird, aged 25, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1922

Australia Aird migration to Australia +

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

Aird Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Aird, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Nestor" in 1849 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Aird (post 1700) +

  • Robert Burns Aird (1903-2000), American educator and physician, founder of the department of Neurology at the University of California at San Francisco
  • John "Jock" Rae Aird (1926-2021), Scottish footballer who played for both the Scotland and New Zealand national sides
  • Thomas Aird (1802-1876), Scottish poet, the second son of James Aird and his wife Isabella Paisley, born 28 Aug. 1802 at Bowden, Roxburghshire [5]
  • Sir John Renton Aird (1898-1973), 3rd Baronet of Hyde Park Terrace in the County of London
  • Sir John Aird (1861-1934), 2nd Baronet of Hyde Park Terrace in the County of London
  • Sir George John Aird (b. 1940), 4th Baronet of Hyde Park Terrace in the County of London, a British peer, Page of Honour to The Queen from 1955 to 1957
  • Sir John Aird (1885-1938), Canadian banker, President of the Canadian Bank of Commerce (1924-1929)
  • John Black Aird CC OOnt QC (1923-1995), Canadian politician, the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, (1980 to 1985)
  • Fraser Aird (b. 1995), Canadian-born Scottish footballer from Toronto
  • Imogen Holly Aird (b. 1969), English television actress, best known for her role on the BBC1 drama series Waking the Dead
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Aird 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: Vigilantia
Motto Translation: Vigilance.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NESTOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Nestor.gif
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook