Last name: Ayers

This long-established surname is of early medieval English origin, and has two distinct possible sources, each with its own history and derivation. Firstly, Ayres may be a patronymic form of "Ayre", itself a nickname for a man who was well known to be the heir to a title or fortune, deriving from the Middle English "eir, eyr", heir (Old French "(h)eir", Latin "heres", heir). One Ralph le Eir was noted in the 1208 Feet of Fines for Essex, and a Richard le Heyre appears in the 1273 Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire. The second possibility is that Ayres is a patronymic form of the Middle English personal name "Aier, Aer", itself coming from the Olde English pre 7th Century "Ealhhere", a compound of the elements "eal(h)", old, and "heri", army. Robertus filius (son of) Aier was noted in the 1166 Red Book of the Exchequer, and a Robert Aier in the 1201 Pipe Rolls of Shropshire. In the modern idiom the surname has several spelling variations ranging from Ayers, Ayres, Ayris, Ayars and Air(e)s, to Eayrs, Eyres and Eyers, the final "s" indicates the patronymic, and is a reduced form of "son of". John Ayres was a noted penman, who between 1680 and 1700 introduced the Italian hand into England; he published many calligraphic works including "A Tutor to Penmanship", 1698. Symon Ayres, "chirurgeon", aged 48 yrs., who embarked from London on the ship "Increase" bound for New England in April 1635 was one of the earliest recorded namebearers to settle in America. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Ayer, which was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Visitor Comments

Michele Ayers
Very disappointed here. My ancestors came from Scotland; Clan Hay, Lords of Erroll, Yester, Park, Neidpath etc. SCOTTISH NOT BRITISH sloppy & incomplete info.

Gregg Ayers
Michele I would agree

Debra Ayers
I'm not..I'm proud my family come from england nd germany Im a german jew my mom's a golsmith and my dad's an ayers

ryan ayres
scottish is british. I think what was meant was not english

natasha ayers
What the hell my family originates from new zealand !!!

shuan
im black with the last name ayers, maybe one of your slave owners

Tom Ayres
I am an Ayres and always known that arm of my ancestry was English.

David Ayers
The name is not uncommon in Canterbury, New Zealand. My ancestors (spelled Ayres) came from the village of Turvey in Bedfordshire.

Kaela
I'm Dutch... I'm confuzzled

Nicole
I'm related to all of you :)

caleb ayers
My ancestors were scotts, immagratred to Ireland, and then to America.

Bowie
Oh no! My ancestores change the spelling to Airs and we all floated away.o

Stephanie Ayers-Dalton
Stephanie Ayers-Dalton. Ayers is such an uncommon name but I am very proud of it. Funny enough many people before they know my maiden name think I am Australian. I was born and raised in California.

tyler ayers
i was told i was from Ireland

Bettie Ayers sarpas
My name is Bettie Ayers- I always knew my fist name was English but I thought my last name was french!

tisha Ayers
I'm confused I keep hearing different things, that Ayers is an English/Scottish name and when the English occupied Australia some Ayers might of also went there, the Ayers that settled in America first settled in the Massachusetts area, the reason I am confused is because I am black and I can't find any slave owners with the last name Ayers/Ayres