Byars
A surname with a few possible British-Isles roots, most likely a local name tied to a place called Beer or Byfield.
The #5,223 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,199 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Byars is probably locational. One line of explanation links it to Beer in Devon, while another points to Byfield in Northamptonshire, both of which could have given rise to local surnames for people who had moved away from those places. In Irish usage, the name may also reflect an anglicized form of a Gaelic surname or a spelling influenced by Irish pronunciation, but the exact source is not certain from the available excerpts.
History
The 19th-century surname dictionaries cite Byars alongside other British and Irish family names, but the excerpts here do not give a full origin note for the name itself. The modern American presence of the surname likely reflects later migration from Britain and Ireland. Because the historical sources are only incidental mentions, the etymology should be treated as probable rather than definite.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley’s discussion places Byars near other surnames of local origin, which is a useful clue that it was probably first used to identify someone by where they came from.
From the historical record
“London, 10; Fbiladelphia, 11. Byars.— Local j v. Beer. ByflricL— Local, 'of Byfield.' a parish in co. Northampton, seven miles from Daveotry.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances