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Show ContentsWeir History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Weir Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI
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Etymology of Weir

What does the name Weir mean?

The surname Weir is an Anglicization of Mac an Mhaoir.

Early Origins of the Weir family

The surname Weir was first found in County Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster.

Early History of the Weir family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weir research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1552, 1556, 1656 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Weir History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weir Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wyer, Weir, Weyre, Wyre, Wyers and others.

Early Notables of the Weir family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Robert Wyer (fl. 1530-1556), an English printer who belonged to a family some members of which were settled at Wendover in Buckinghamshire...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weir Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weir World Ranking

In the United States, the name Weir is the 1,698th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Weir is ranked the 684th most popular surname with an estimated 7,634 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Weir is the 577th popular surname with an estimated 80 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Weir as 403rd with 9,161 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Weir as 269th with 2,252 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Weir as 511st with 12,734 people. 6

Weir migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weir Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Weir, who settled in New England in 1685
Weir Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Robert and Rachel Weir, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1763
  • Andrew Weir, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1763 7
  • David Weir, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 7
  • John Weir, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 7
  • Thomas Weir, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Weir Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Geo Weir, who landed in America in 1805 7
  • James Weir, who arrived in Virginia in 1810 7
  • Joseph Weir, aged 26, who arrived in Delaware in 1812 7
  • Arthur Weir, aged 24, who landed in Delaware in 1812 7
  • Eliza Weir, who arrived with two children in New York in 1822
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weir migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weir Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Weir U.E. who settled in Didgequash, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the 74th Regiment 8
  • Mr. Thomas Weir U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 8
Weir Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Richard and Thomas Weir, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1814 9
  • Robert Weir, who was a joiner from Glasgow, Scotland, married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1847 9
  • Jane Weir, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1848
  • Agnes Weir, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1848
  • Mary Weir, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1848
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weir migration to Australia +

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

Weir Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. David Weir, British Convict who was convicted in Dumfries, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. William Weir, British Convict who was convicted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Andrew Weir, a carpenter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Colin Weir, a blacksmith, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. Thomas Weir, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 19th November 1827, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weir 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:

Weir Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Weir, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 13
  • Mr. D. Weir, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Blundell" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1848 13
  • Mrs. Weir, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK with 3 sons aboard the ship "Blundell" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 21st September 1848 13
  • John Weir, aged 44, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Inchinnan" in 1852 13
  • Mr. John Weir, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Inchinnan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 27th May 1852 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Weir (post 1700) +

  • Samuel Edwin "Ed" Weir (1903-1991), American collegiate and professional football player
  • Stephnie Carmel Weir (b. 1967), American actress, comedienne, and writer
  • Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), American impressionist painter
  • Amanda Jo Weir (b. 1986), American Olympic silver medalist swimmer
  • Robert Hall "Bob" Weir (b. 1947), American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, founding member of the Grateful Dead
  • Mary Hayward Weir (1915-1968), American steel heiress and socialite
  • Robert James "Robbie" Weir (b. 1988), Northern Irish footballer
  • Stuart Weir (1938-2024), British journalist, writer and Visiting Professor with the Government Department at the University of Essex
  • Glen Weir (1951-2023), Canadian star defensive lineman for the Montreal Alouettes/Montreal Concordes in the Canadian Football League, born in London, Ontario
  • Mr. George Wilson “Doddie” Weir O.B.E. (1970-2022), Scottish former rugby player and Founder of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Rugby, to Motor Neurone Disease Research and to the community in the Scottish Borders 14
  • ... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Miss Violet Maud Weir (1891-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. C  Weir (1896-1917), Canadian Signalman aboard the HMCS Niobe from who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
HMS Royal Oak
  • William Weir (b. 1922), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 17
RMS Lusitania
  • Mrs. Margaret Weir, Scottish Stewardess from Glasgow, Scotland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 18
  • Mr. Cecil Hamilton Weir, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19
RMS Titanic
  • Colonel John Weir (d. 1912), aged 59, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 20

Suggested Readings for the name Weir +

  • The Normans, 1720-1976, and Information on the Walker, Clayton and Weir Families Of Mississippi by Maggie Laurie Carson.
  • Tims-Weir: The Ancestry of William Robert Tims of Augusta Texas by Janet Weir Scott.
  • Weir/Wear Families: From Here & There to the White House by Olga Jones Edwards.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. 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)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1827
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  15. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  16. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  17. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  18. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  19. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  20. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html

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