Show ContentsStair History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Stair family

The surname Stair was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1195 when William de Stegre held estates in that county.

Early History of the Stair family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stair research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Stair History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stair Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stair, Stayre, Stayer and others.

Early Notables of the Stair family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Stair family of Kent

Stair Ranking

In the United States, the name Stair is the 13,404th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Stair migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stair Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A Stair, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [2]
Stair Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Arthur Cecil Stair, aged 27, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Oceanic" from Queenstown, Ireland [3]
  • John F. Stair, aged 51, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Monterey" from Havana, Cuba [3]
  • Charles Stair, aged 49, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England [3]
  • Arthur Cecil Stair, aged 39, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Southampton, England [3]
  • Georgia Stair, aged 50, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Fort Hamilton" from Hamilton, Bermuda [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Stair (post 1700) +

  • Ralph Gordon Stair (1933-2021), also known as Brother R. G. Stair and Brother Stair, an American radio evangelist based in Walterboro, South Carolina
  • Grace Cookson Stair, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1920; Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1920 [4]
  • Fred R. Stair (1892-1972), American politician, Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, 1942-43 [4]
  • E. D. Stair, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1908 [4]
  • Carlyle B. Stair, American politician, Village President of Downers Grove, Illinois, 1942 [4]
  • Arlan Stair, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1948 [4]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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