Contents [hide]

Airey History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Airey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Airey

What does the name Airey mean?

Airey is one of the names that was brought to England in the wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Airey family lived in the Castle of Airey, or Arey in Normandy. The earliest record of the name was in 1198 of Goisbert de Arreio in Normandy. In England, the family settled mostly in the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland (now part of Cumbria) having derived from the word eyrara which means gravel-banked stream. 1

Another source notes "this Cumberland family consider the name to have been borrowed from some elevated dwelling among the mountains called an Eyrie, such designations for residences not being uncommon." 2

Early Origins of the Airey family

The surname Airey was first found in the northern English counties of Cumberland and Westmorland where they held a family seat from very ancient times, probably long before the Norman Conquest of England by the Duke of Normandy in 1066 A.D.

Early records for the family are very scarce. The only entry we found was of Robert de Hayra who was listed in 1301 as holding lands in Lancashire at that time. 3

Christopher Airay (1601-1670), the pioneer of English logic and Henry Airay (c. 1560-1616), the Puritan divine and author both hail from Westmorland. 4

Early History of the Airey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Airey research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1301, 1332, 1600, 1611, 1655, 1833 and 1911 are included under the topic Early Airey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Airey Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Airey include Airey, Airy, Airie, Arey, Array, Aireys, Aries, Areys and many more.

Early Notables of the Airey family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Airey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Airey family to Ireland

Some of the Airey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Airey migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Aireys to arrive on North American shores:

Airey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Airey, who arrived in Maryland in 1725 5

Airey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Airey, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856

Airey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George Austin Airey, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States from Wolverhampton, England, in 1907
Lilly Airey, aged 24, who settled in America from Limerick, Ireland, in 1908
Joseph William Airey, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Shildon, England, in 1910
Jane Airey, aged 44, who landed in America from Barrow, England, in 1910
Annie Airey, aged 24, who settled in America from Shildon, England, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Airey migration to Australia +

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

Airey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Allen Airey, (b. 1833), aged 17, English convict who was convicted in Preston, Lancaster, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 6
Michael Airey, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Navarino" 7

Airey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Airey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Airey, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 8
Mrs. Airey, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 8
William Airey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Airey (post 1700) +

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul Wesley Airey (1923-2009), American adviser to Secretary of the Air Force
William F. Airey, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1888, 1896, 1900 9
James Airey, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Moundsville, Virginia, 1853-56 9
General Sir George Airey (1761-1833), British Army officer, father of the better known general and staff-officer, Richard, Lord Airey 10
Frank Airey (b. 1887), English footballer from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Robert Berkeley Airey (1874-1933), English cricket right-handed batsman
James Airey (b. 1959), English cricketer
Carl Airey (b. 1965), English former professional footballer
Stuart James Airey (b. 1983), English cricketer
Philip Airey (b. 1991), English footballer
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Airey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Je le tiendrai
Motto Translation: I will possess.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1857. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1857.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019