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After the forces of Strongbow invaded Ireland they discovered that the Irish had their own system of hereditary surnames. Although the two naming systems had many similarities, occupational surnames, such as Maylor were much more common to the Anglo-Norman culture of the Strongbownians. Occupational surnames were derived from a word describing the actual job done by the initial name bearer. The prefix le, meaning the, in French was often used by the early Strongbownians to link a person's first and name and surname. Eventually these prefixes were dropped or became fused onto the beginning of the surname. The surname came from a common occupational name for an enameler. The surname Maylor is derived from the Old French word esmaileur, which has this meaning. The name Maylor is also occasionally derived from the Welsh personal name Meilyr, which was Maglorix in Old Welsh. The Gaelic forms of the surname Maylor are Maoilir and Mac Maoilir.
The surname Maylor was first found in Wales. One of the first recorded ancestors bearing this name was Nicholas Meyler, Canon of St. David's in South Wales in 1202.
We know that at least one branch of the family accompanied Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke on his invasion of Ireland in 1172. There, settling in Wexford, some of the family adopted the Gaelic of Maoilir, and some even became MacMeyler and McMeyler.
George Meyler and Walter Meyler where notables of this branch at Tincurry, Wexford. Meanwhile, a branch of the family settled in Shropshire, where Henry and Walter Meyler were registered in 1273.
Meyler de Bermingham (d. before 1275) was an Anglo-Irish lord, founder of Athenry. Meyler was a great-grandson of Robert de Bermingham who is thought to have obtained a grant of Offaly from Strongbow or Henry II about 1172.
While his surname was in fact, de Bermingham, it is significant to note the early use of Meyler as a forename. Myler of Tethmoy, who died in 1211, was the son of Robert of Tethmoy, (fl. 1172.)
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maylor research. More information is included under the topic Early Maylor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Names were simply spelled as they sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, his name was often spelt in many different ways, explaining the many spelling variations encountered while researching the name Maylor. Some of these variations included: Meyler, Mailer, Mailler, Mayler, Meiler, Meiller, Maylor, MacMeyler, McMeyler, McMailor, McMeiler, Meilir and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Maylor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Maylor: