The ancestors of the bearers of the Leyrer family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Leire, in Leciestershire, or in Layer in Essex. They are all derived from an ancient Celtic river name, Leir. The name is no longer in use as a name for a river. Many of the ancient Celtic place-names in the east of England disappeared with the invasions and colonization of the region by the Anglo-Saxons in the second to fourth centuries. They drove out, killed or enslaved all the people living in the area, and renamed the features of the geography to suit themselves. The Celts continued on in the west of England, and in Ireland and in Scotland. However, their presence in the east and southeast of England was over.
The surname Leyrer was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leyrer research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1291, 1327, 1429, 1526, 1537, and 1723 are included under the topic Early Leyrer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Leyrer include Layer, Layar, Layre, Leyr, Leyre and others.
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leyrer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Leyrer 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..