Keirs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Keirs surname is a habitational name, taken on from the place name, in Stirlingshire.

Early Origins of the Keirs family

The surname Keirs was first found in on the marches of Westere Fedale in 1242, where Patrick Ker was a juror. "Alexander del Keire had a gift of money from the king, and Andrew del Ker of Stirlingshire rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. William Ker was one of the burgesses of Stirling who attacked the cruives and fishings of the abbot and convent of Cambuskenneth, 1366. John Kere, burgess of Strivelyne and Mariota his wife had a charter of land in Aberdeen, 1366." 1

Early History of the Keirs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keirs research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1462, 1544, 1553, 1555, 1558, 1686, 1735, 1743 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Keirs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keirs Spelling Variations

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Keirs has also been spelled Keir, Kier and others.

Early Notables of the Keirs family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keirs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keirs migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Keirs, or a variant listed above:

Keirs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jan Keirs, who arrived in New York in 1660 2

Citations +

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)
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)