Phayre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
Scotland

The Phayre surname is derived from the Middle English word "fair," or "fayr," from the Old English "fæger;" meaning "handsome," "beautiful," or "fair." As such, the name is generally considered to have originally been a nickname, although it was in occasional use as a personal name for both men and women.

Early Origins of the Phayre family

The surname Phayre was first found in Cumberland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Phayre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Phayre research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1234, 1333, 1446, 1612, 1619, 1648 and 1682 are included under the topic Early Phayre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phayre Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fair, Faire, Faires, Fayer, Fayers, Fairs, Fare, Phair, Phaire, Phayre, Phares and many more.

Early Notables of the Phayre family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Robert Phayre or Phaire (1619-1682), regicide, possibly a son of Emmanuel Phaire, who in 1612 became rector of Kilshannig, co...

Phayre migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Phayre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Phayre, aged 38, who arrived in Harford County, Maryland in 1838 1

Phayre 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:

Phayre Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Francis Phayre, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th February 1856 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Phayre (post 1700) +

Brigadier Robert Arthur Phayre DSO (1901-1993), British soldier and cricketer
Sir Robert Phayre (1820-1897), British Army officer, he and his brother Sir Arthur Phayre were direct descendant of the Regicide Colonel Robert Phaire
Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Purves Phayre GCMG KCSI CB (b. 1812), British Indian Army officer and diplomat, the first Commissioner of British Burma(1862–1867) and later Governor of Mauritius (1874–1878)

Citations +

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html