Show ContentsAires History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Aires was first used as a surname in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Briton. The first Aires family lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Early Origins of the Aires family

The surname Aires 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 Aires family

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

Aires Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Aires has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Early Notables of the Aires family

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

Ireland Migration of the Aires family to Ireland

Some of the Aires 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.


United States Aires migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Aires Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Samuel Aires, aged 15, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1637 1
  • John Aires, who landed in Massachusetts in 1645 1
  • John Aires, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1648 1
  • John Aires, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 1
  • Hen Aires, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Aires Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Aires, who landed in South Carolina in 1702 1
  • David Aires, who landed in North Carolina in 1703 1
  • Ambrose Aires, who arrived in Edenton, North Carolina in 1724 1
  • Jacob Aires, who landed in Maryland in 1749 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Aires (post 1700) +

  • Aires de Ornelas (1837-1880), Portuguese Roman Catholic Archbishop of Goa


  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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