Find out how popular the last name Ayres is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ayres.

Ayres, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ayres surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ayres in America

Ayres is the 3241st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ayres surname appeared 11,139 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Ayres.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ayres to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ayres

The surname Ayres has its origins in England. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'eg' meaning 'island' and 'ar' meaning 'dwelling'. It referred to someone who lived by a river island or a low-lying meadow near a stream.

The name first appeared in records from the 12th century. The earliest recorded spelling was Ayers in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. It was also recorded as Ayres in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 and as Ayre in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

During the Middle Ages, the name was found predominantly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Sussex. Some early bearers of the name included John Ayres, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1221, and William Ayers, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Ayres name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Ayres (c. 1590-1658), an English soldier and politician who served as Governor of Virginia from 1625 to 1627. Another prominent figure was Rene Ayres (1625-1670), a French philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of probability theory.

In the literary world, the name is associated with John Ayres (1688-1758), an English poet and playwright, and Lew Ayres (1908-1996), an American actor best known for his role in the film "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930). Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Ayres (1786-1873), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed the coast of Australia.

Other individuals of note include John Ayres (1625-1696), an English sculptor who created monuments and memorials in several churches in London, and Philip Ayres (1638-1712), an English organist and composer who served as the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ayres

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ayres.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ayres was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ayres has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ayres was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ayres, please contact us.

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