Contents [hide]

Tyer History Etymology Coat of Arms Creation Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Tyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Tyer

What does the name Tyer mean?

Tyer comes from the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient Scotland. It was a name for a person who worked as a carpenter or wright. The Gaelic form Mac an t-saoir means son of the carpenter. Most historians agree that their earliest habitations were on MacDonald territories on Kintyre. Most legends about their beginnings point to an origin in the Hebrides. From this point on, opinions differ. One legend has the Clan-an-t-Saor (Children of the Carpenter) arriving in Lorne in a galley with a white cow, another says that the galley, set adrift, developed a leak below the water line and the MacDonald Chieftain placed his thumb in the hole to keep the boat afloat. Spotting help at a distance, he cut off his thumb so that he could wave. He was ironically named the Carpenter or MacIntyre. Some claim that the family derived its name from a member of the MacDonalds who was called Cean-tire because of his ownership of lands on the peninsula of Kintyre.

Tyer Coat of Arms Creation

The crest of this clan is a hand holding a dagger, and their motto, " Per Ardua" (Through difficulties), probably because they had success only by hard work.

There are two legends as to how they got the name Macintyre. One is that at Creich, in Sutherland, one of the Clan Donald built a fort so well that he became known as "An Saor," Gaelic for "the carpenter," and his son as "Mac-an-shaor," which is pronounced very like Macintyre.

The other story is that in coming over from Ireland the plug in the bottom of the boat was displaced and thrown overboard as they were baling. Having nothing handy to stop the in rushing water, the first Macintyre thrust his thumb into the hole, and when he found that his services were urgently needed in another part of the boat, he chopped it off, and the thumbless one was afterwards known as "An Saor." Perhaps it is to commemorate this that they have a galley with sails furled in their armorial bearings. 1

Early Origins of the Tyer family

The surname Tyer was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where according legend, Maurice or Murdock, The Wright, (c.1150) became the first MacIntyre chief as a reward for helping his uncle, Somerled, King of Argyll and the Western Isles.

Early History of the Tyer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tyer research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1597, 1890, 1955 and 1991 are included under the topic Early Tyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyer Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Tyer has appeared as MacIntyre, MacIntire, MacIntre and many more.

Early Notables of the Tyer family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tyer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyer Ranking

In the United States, the name Tyer is the 14,163^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Tyer family to Ireland

Some of the Tyer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyer migration to the United States +

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Tyer or a variant listed above:

Tyer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Tyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 3

Tyer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Tyer, who landed in America in 1764 3

Tyer migration to Australia +

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

Tyer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Tyer, (b. 1813), aged 20, English farm servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1847 4

Tyer 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:

Tyer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

H. Tyer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "St. Leonards" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Tyer (post 1700) +

Edward Tyer, English engineer, founder of Tyer & Company, a Train Tablet signalling system that was used for nearly 100 years

The Tyer 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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through difficulties.

Citations +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora