Welcome to the Eyres One-Name study.

This study was registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies at Rootstech London 2019.  It has evolved from my family history research into my paternal Eyres lineage which was stuck at a brickwall in the mid 19^th century with my Great Great Grandfather, William Eyres. This has now been resolved!

I have the following aims for this study:

• Identify all the Eyres in the world and put some flesh on the bones of the name in order to create a narrative of lives once lived
• Family reconstruction within geographical locations; find any links between disparate groups, and ultimately identify whether there is a family of origin; the Eyres ‘Adam and Eve’
• Map the Eyres populations across the UK and worldwide and map the rise and fall of these populations over time within their geographical areas and explore what social, economic, religious and or military factors may have influenced migration to or from these areas
• Discover aspects of health in as much details as records will permit e.g. longevity and were there lifespan differences between men and women, if so, why; causes of death and whether there is a pattern within families and across generations; family size, rates of childbirth and maternal survival; and the survival rates for these children into adulthood
• Discover whether there is a definitive origin for the name Eyres, and explore its meaning in greater depth and detail to support or refute existing definitions
• Ascertain whether alternate name spellings are deviants or variants of the name Eyres
• Knock down the William Eyres brickwall

I have not registered any variants at this stage.  I am however aware of a number of spelling variations for the name Eyres within census records in England and Wales: 

Further research into these names is required and will demonstrate whether these name spellings are variants or deviants of the name Eyres.

Several sources* identify the name ‘Eyres’ as originating from Anglo Saxon Britain (450-1066 AD) and first found in Derbyshire, where the ancestral home of the main branch of the Eyres family is reported to be located. Early written records of the name Eyres have been found in many counties, notably Derbyshire, Wiltshire, and Shropshire. Guppy, in his Homes of Family Names in Great Britain published in 1890, states that the Eyres are most numerous in the vicinity of Sheffield in South Yorkshire but that the name is an ancient Derbyshire name derived from the Le Eyre family who had settled at Hope, Derbyshire in the reign of Edward 1 (1272-1307).  According to Guppy, by the 17^th century a principal branch of the Le Eyre family was seated at Holme Hall, Chesterfield from which the Eyres of Nottingham reputedly took their name.  Further research will aim to confirm whether or not the Le Eyre family are a link to Eyres and whether Eyres is a variant of the Le Eyre name.  

The 1881 census shows the most prolific cluster of Eyres families as being in Lancashire, with spread into the neighbouring counties of Cheshire and Yorkshire; but also with significant numbers in Wiltshire, and Middlesex and Surrey (today’s London).

*House of Names, Surnames Database, Forebears

Meaning of the Name

The House of Names and the Surnames Database both state that the name is derived from the name of a person who was well known to be an heir to a title, fortune or asset.  Eyres is a patronymic name derived from the old French word ‘Eir’ or ‘Eyr’, itself derived from the old Latin word ‘heres’ meaning heir. 

These renowned bearers of the Eyres name have been taken from the House of Names but I hope to one day identify some more Eyres of historical note:

• Sir Harry Charles Augustus Eyres (1856-1944), British diplomat, Envoy to Albania (1922 to 1926)
• Harry Eyres (b. 1958), English journalist, writer and poet
• Richard "Richie" Eyres (b. 1966), English professional rugby league and rugby union footballer, active in the 1980s and 1990s
• John "Jack" Eyres (1899-1975), English footballer
• David Eyres (b. 1964), English former professional footballer
• Leslie Harvey Eyres (1892-1983), Canadian tyre merchant and politician who represented Chilliwack in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1937 to 1952
• Thomas W W Eyres (b. 1902), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Southampton, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle on HMS Hood and died in the sinking

Archer’s Surname Atlas has recorded all the surnames listed in the 1881 Census in England and Wales.  There were 910 Eyres in England, a frequency of 1:26,786, and ranking of 3,670; and just 4 solitary Eyres in Wales (frequency 1:392,104).

By 2014, the Forebears website shows that the incidence of Eyres in England had increased to 1,426 but was less common with a frequency of 1:39,073 and ranking of 5,048.  However, the surname had spread beyond the borders of England and there were Eyres to be found not only in Wales (now increased to 49 people) but also across the world. The Eyres surname was now present in a total of 27 countries. 

The Eyres surname is predominantly found in Europe (66%) with 65% located in the British Isles and most frequent in England.  The highest incidence of Eyres in 2014 were in Greater Manchester (18%), Cheshire (14%) and Greater London (7%); a very similar distribution pattern to the data of the 1881 Census.

The highest incidences outside of England are to be found in the USA (393 people), Australia (181), Canada (143) and Ireland (119). Forebears states that Eyres is the 170,938^th most common surname in the world with approximately 2,520 as bearers of the name.

2014 Worldwide Distribution of Eyres Surname
(Map reproduced from Forebears with their permission)

Data collection is ongoing. Births, deaths and marriages, also baptisms and burials, for England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have been entered into Excel worksheets.  Military records, grave and cemetery records have been counted and need to be entered into Excel.

The Eyres in the 1841 census have been fully transcribed into Excel, as also has the 1851 census. I am part way through transcribing the 1861 census entries.

Still lots to do......

One day.......

Blog: Heirs of the Eyres          https://eyresfamilyhistory.wordpress.com

Timeline: Eyres One-Name Study          https://time.graphics/line/323382

Website:          Looking at using weare.xyz