Ayres Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The surname Ayres was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by an ancient Scottish people called the Strathclyde- Britons. It was a name for someone who lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Ayres Early Origins

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The surname Ayres 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.

Ayres Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Ayres has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Ayres Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayres research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1522, 1567, 1638 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Ayres History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayres Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ayres Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayres In Ireland

Some of the Ayres family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ayres Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Ayres, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia
John Ayres, aged 20, a miner, arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Switzerland"

Ayres Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Ayres, aged 21, a labourer, arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Richard Ayres arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1880
Florence B. Ayres, aged 19, a servant, arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayres (post 1700)

Robert Ayres (1914-1968), American film, stage and television actor
Robert Underwood Ayres (b. 1932), American-born physicist and economist
Ian Ayres (b. 1959), American professor at Yale Law School and Yale School of Management
Benjamin Ayres, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Cumberland County, 1850-51
Albro Charles Ayres (1907-1981), American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives, 1951-56
Albert Douglass Ayres (1874-1944), American Republican politician, Member of Nevada State House of Representatives, 1911-13
Daniel Ayres, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1867
David Ayres, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1859, 1866
E. S. Ayres (d. 1866), American politician, Mayor of Owensboro, Kentucky, 1866
Ebenezer Ayres, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1867, 1872
... (Another 35 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ayres Historic Events

HMS Hood

Mr. Henry D Ayres (b. 1901), English Ordinary Signalman serving for the Royal Navy from West Ham, Essex, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Hood and died on 24th May 1941 in the sinking

HMS Repulse

Mr. Charles Ayres, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse and died during the sinking

Ayres Family Crest Products

Citations

Other References

Leyburn, James Graham. The Scotch-Irish A Social History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1962. Print. (ISBN 0807842591).
Innes, Thomas and Learney. Socts Heraldry A Practical Handbook on the Historical Principles and Modern Application of the Art of Science. London: Oliver and Boyd, 1934. Print.
Warner, Philip Warner. Famous Scottish Battles. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1996. Print. (ISBN 0-76070-004-4).
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Scotch Irish Pioneers In Ulster and America. Montana: Kessinger Publishing. Print.
Prebble, John. The Highland Clearances. London: Secker & Warburg, 1963. Print.
Bloxham, Ben. Key to Parochial Registers of Scotland From Earliest Times Through 1854 2nd edition. Provo, UT: Stevenson's Genealogical Center, 1979. Print.
Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1970. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3).
Adam, Frank. Clans Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands 8th Edition. London: Bacon (G.W.) & Co, 1970. Print. (ISBN 10-0717945006).
...

The Ayres Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Ayres Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 14 June 2016 at 08:49.