Contents [hide]

Ayres History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Ayres History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Ayres

What does the name Ayres mean?

The surname Ayres was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by an ancient Scottish people called the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for someone who lived in the city of Ayr in South-Western Scotland.

Early Origins of the Ayres family

The surname Ayres was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where the family has held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first on record was Reginald Ayr, who was Clerk of Ayr in 1287 and Albinus Ayr had a charter of lands from King Robert the Bruce in 1315.

Early History of the Ayres family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayres research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1522, 1567, 1638 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Ayres History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayres Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Ayres has been spelled Ayer, Air, Ayre, Ayers and others.

Early Notables of the Ayres family

More information is included under the topic Early Ayres Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ayres Ranking

In the United States, the name Ayres is the 2,833^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Ayres is ranked the 946^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,358 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Ayres family to Ireland

Some of the Ayres 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.

Ayres migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Ayres Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Symon Ayres, aged 48, from Suffolk who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Watertown 3
Mrs. Dorothy Ayres, aged 38, from Suffolk who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Watertown 3
Miss Marie Ayres, aged 15, from Suffolk who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Watertown 3
Mr. Thomas Ayres, aged 13, from Suffolk who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Watertown 3
Mr. Symon Ayres, aged 11, from Suffolk who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase", bound for Watertown 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ayres Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Amy Ayres, (b. 1898), aged 5, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th June 1903 en route to Butte City, Montana, USA 4
Mrs. Beatrice Ayres, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th June 1903 en route to Butte City, Montana, USA 4
Mr. Willie Ayres, (b. 1901), aged 1 year 11 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th June 1903 en route to Butte City, Montana, USA 4

Ayres migration to Australia +

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

Ayres Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Ayres, British Convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Richard Ayres, British Convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Robert Ayres, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Ayres, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Thomas Ayres, (b. 1838), aged 12, English farm labourer who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ayres 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:

Ayres Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Rebecca Ayres, (b. 1858), aged infant, English settler from Turvey travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 10
Mr. Thomas Ayres, (b. 1817), aged 41, English bricklayer from Turvey travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 10
Mrs. Elizabeth Ayres, (b. 1819), aged 39, English settler from Turvey travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 10
Mr. Samuel Ayres, (b. 1846), aged 12, English settler from Turvey travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 10
Miss Sarah Ayres, (b. 1851), aged 7, English settler from Turvey travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1858 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ayres (post 1700) +

Christopher Owen Ayres (1965-2021), American stage actor, voice actor, stage director, ADR director, fight choreographer and scriptwriter who worked on a number of Japanese anime series at Funimation, OkraTron 5000
Robert Ayres (1914-1968), American film, stage and television actor
Robert Underwood Ayres (b. 1932), American-born physicist and economist
Ian Ayres (b. 1959), American professor at Yale Law School and Yale School of Management
Lewis Frederick "Lew" Ayres III (1908-1996), American actor, best known for starring as Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front
William Orville Ayres (1817-1887), American physician and ichthyologist
Leonard Porter Ayres (1879-1946), American statistician
Agnes Ayres (1898-1940), American silent film actor
Romeyn B. Ayres (1825-1888), Union general in the American Civil War
Benjamin Ayres, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Cumberland County, 1850-51 11
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ayres family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Henry D Ayres (b. 1901), English Ordinary Signalman serving for the Royal Navy from West Ham, Essex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 12

HMS Repulse

Mr. Charles Ayres, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13

Vimy Ridge

Alfred Charles Edward Ayres (1894-1917), Canadian Private in the 10th Battalion who died at Vimy Ridge April 1917

The Ayres 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: Lighter than air

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
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 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html