Layers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Germany

Etymology of Layers

The ancestry of the name Layers dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Leire, in Leciestershire, or in Layer in Essex. They are all derived from an ancient Celtic river name, Leir. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational name for 'the layer,' i.e. a stone layer, one who sets the stones in building, a waller. 2

"'Layere, or werkare wythe stone and mortere, cementarius': Promptorium Parvulorum, and v. Way's note thereon. Probably the term was familiar to Norfolk, as the above quotation suggests, for Layer has been a Norfolk surname for many centuries." 3

And another source has a slightly different origin, noting the name was from the "French layeur, a forest surveyor; one who makes roads through forests." 4

Early Origins of the Layers family

Early History of the Layers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Layers research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1291, 1327, 1429, 1526, 1531, 1537, 1600, 1661, 1683 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Layers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Layers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Layers have been found, including Layer, Layar, Layre, Leyr, Leyre and others.

Early Notables of the Layers family

Christopher Layer (1531-1600), of Norwich, Norfolk, an English merchant, burgess of Norwich, and briefly a Member of Parliament. He was the son of William Layer, Mayor of Norwich and Elizabeth, daughter of John Marsham of Norwich, gentleman. The four figurines encased in the two pilasters of The Layer Monument, also known as The Layer Quaternity in the Church of St John Maddermarket are rare examples of Northern Mannerism sculpture in Britain. Another Christopher Layer (1683-1723) was an English...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Layers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Layers family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Layers, or a variant listed above: Adam Layar who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749; John Hend Layer who sailed to Nova Scotia in 1752; and Henry Layer who sailed to Philadelphia in 1765..