Show ContentsLair History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Lair family

The surname Lair was first found in Brittany, originally Armorica in ancient times, where the family has been a prominent family for centuries, and held a family seat with lands and manor. The family were well established in the region of Dol and several members of the family distinguished themselves through their contributions toward the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Early History of the Lair family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lair research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lair History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lair Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Delair, de Lair, Lair, Laire, Layre, des Laires, Delierre, Lierre, Lier, Daire, Dayre, Dayres, Dayras, Dairat and many more.

Early Notables of the Lair family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • Delair of Brittany

Lair Ranking

In the United States, the name Lair is the 6,311st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Lair is ranked the 1,118th most popular surname with an estimated 4,880 people with that name. 2


Australia Lair migration to Australia +

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

Lair Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Eliza Lair, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lair (post 1700) +

  • Michael Lair (1946-2017), American politician and former educator, Member of the Missouri House of Representatives (2009-2016)
  • Orla E. Lair, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California, 1940, 1942 4


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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