Show ContentsAyers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Ayers

What does the name Ayers mean?

Scottish history reveals Ayers was first used as a surname by the Strathclyde-Briton people. It was a name for someone who lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Early Origins of the Ayers family

The surname Ayers 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 Ayers family

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

Ayers Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that rules have developed and the process of spelling according to sound has been abandoned. Scottish names from before that time tend to appear under many different spelling variations. Ayers has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Early Notables of the Ayers family

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

Ayers Ranking

In the United States, the name Ayers is the 677th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Ayers family to Ireland

Some of the Ayers 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.


Ayers migration to the United States +

Unwelcome in their beloved homeland, many Scots sailed for the colonies of North America. There, they found land and freedom, and even the opportunity to make a new nation in the American War of Independence. These Scottish settlers played essential roles in the founding of the United States, and the shaping of contemporary North America. Among them:

Ayers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Ayers and Mary Ayers, age 15, who arrived in Boston in 1635
  • John Ayers, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "James" in 1635 2
  • Robert Ayers, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1664
Ayers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Ayers, aged 53, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Clinton P. Ayers, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1893
Ayers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Clinton P. Ayers, aged 45, who landed in America from Belfast, in 1903
  • Carrie Ayers, aged 35, who landed in America from London, in 1903
  • Amy Ayers, aged 5, who settled in America from Cornwall, in 1903
  • Beatrice Ayers, aged 25, who landed in America from Cornwall, in 1903
  • Clara Ayers, aged 22, who landed in America from Glasgow, in 1904
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ayers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Ayers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Arthur Frank Ayers, aged 57, who immigrated to Stamford, Canada, in 1911

Ayers migration to Australia +

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

Ayers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Ayers, English convict who was convicted in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Samuel Ayers, British convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Henry Ayers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 6
  • Anne Ayers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1840 6

Ayers 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:

Ayers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. A. Ayers, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 7
  • Mrs. Ayers, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 7
  • Miss Alice Ayers, (b. 1865), aged 18, Cornish general servant departing on 27th September 1883 aboard the ship "Trevelyan" going to Invercargill, New Zealand arriving in port on 30th December 1883 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayers (post 1700) +

  • Nikki Ayers (b. 1991), Australian Paralympic rower, gold medalist at the 2024 Paralympic Games
  • Ronald Frederick "Ron" Ayers MBE (1932-2024), English engineer who was responsible for the aerodynamics of the land speed record-holding vehicles, ThrustSSC and JCB Dieselmax
  • Howard Edmonds "Doc" Ayers (1922-2020), American football coach from Toccoa, Georgia
  • Sterling Haskel "Hack" Ayers (1936-2020), American auctioneer and politician, Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1967-1970)
  • Demarcus Ayers (b. 1994), American football wide receiver
  • Anthony Joseph "Tony" Ayers AC (1933-2016), Australian public servant, Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (1979-1981), Department of Social Security (1981-1986), Acting Secretary of the Department of Community Services (1984-1985)
  • Kevin Ayers (1944-2013), British rock singer, founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine
  • William Charles "Bill" Ayers (b. 1944), American elementary education theorist
  • Rufus A. Ayers (1849-1926), Virginia lawyer, Attorney General of Virginia
  • Michael Richard Ayers FBA (b. 1935), British philosopher, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Oxford
  • ... (Another 40 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Dee Cumpie Ayers, American Seaman Second Class from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 9


Suggested Readings for the name Ayers +

  • Ancestors of Silas Ayers and Mary Bryam Ayers by Charles H. Ayers.
  • The Ayers Family: Descendants of William Eayers of Londonderry, New Hampshire by Azuba Ruth Ward.
  • The Story of the Ayers Family: Pioneers in the Middle West by Allan Joy Searle.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  3. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairfield.htm
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  9. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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