Ayer
A surname usually treated as a spelling variant of Eyre, traditionally explained as meaning “the heir.”
The #9,520 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,409 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Ayer is generally linked to Eyre, a medieval name commonly explained from Old French and Middle English words meaning “heir.” In the older sources, it is treated as a nickname or official-style surname with this sense, rather than as a place name. The spelling Ayer is a later variant of the better-known English form Ayre/Eyre.
History
Bardsley notes that Ayre and Ayer are closely related forms, with Ayer especially common in the United States. Lower simply cross-references Ayer to Eyre, showing that he regarded it as the same surname family. The name also appears in early English records in spellings such as Eyre and Ayre, with Ayer as a later orthographic variant.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley remarked that while Ayre was the usual English spelling, Ayer had become the more familiar American form.
From the historical record
“Hope. AYER. See Eyre. AYLBTT. See Aylott. AYLIFFE. See AylofF. AYLMER. Allmarus, iEilmar, or Ail- mar, occurs several times in Domesd. as a personal name. AYLOFF. A baptismal name ante 1086.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom