Origin of the surname Ayres

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.

The surname Ayres. Genealogy, origin, history, meaning, and significance

Discovering the historical roots of ayres is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname ayres is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation.

The surname Ayres around the world

Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname ayres. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname ayres provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.

History of Ayres

The historical chronicle of ayres is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname ayres, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of ayres developed.

We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname ayres, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about ayres and send it to us, we will update it on this website.

Notable Figures Named Ayres

It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished ayress throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname ayres were recorded by the chroniclers of the time.

The surname Ayres and its bibliographic sources

Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of ayres. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of ayres are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation.

SOURCES

These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of ayres, and at the same time, of surnames in general.

Origin of Ayres