Offic. or nick, 'the heir'; Middle English heyre, eyr, or eyre; Old French heir, the h, of course, being silent.

Henry le Eyer, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Adam le Eyr, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

William le Eyre, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Probably from ME. eire, eyre, OF, heir, heyr, etc., an heir. The names of Henry le Eyer, Adam le Eyr, and William le Eyre are recorded in the English Hundred Rolls in 1273. Robert le Eyr of Presfen was charged in 1296 with seizing 966 head of cattle and two chargers belonging to Hugh Dispensar (Bain, II, p. 192). Hewe Eyr of Roxburghshire who rendered homage in that year may be the Hugh Eyr who was one of an inquest at Selkirk in 1305 (ibid., p. 199,453). John Eyr of Mesfennon, of Peeblesshire, who rendered homage may be the John Ayre who held land in Peebles in 1304 (ibid., p. 207,385). Stevene le fiz Johan Heir of Berwickshire also rendered homage in 1296. His seal bears an eight-rayed figure, S' Steph'ni Hair (ibid., p. 207,555). Stevene Eyr of Eytone who also rendered homage may be the same person (ibid., p. 210). David Ere in the parish of Derray, in 1650 (Kilbarchan). Johan Ihre (1707—1780), Swedish philologist, has been claimed as of Scottish descent but on doubtful authority. See also Air.

(Anglo-French-Latin) Heir [Middle English eyr(e, eir(e, heir(e, Old French (h)eir, Latin heeres, heredis, an heir] William le Eyre.—Hundred Rolls And thei to have and to holde, And hire [their] eyres after.—Piers Plowman, 1085-6.

She feleth nothinge, neither foule ne feyre. Tarquinius, thou art a kynges eyre.— Chaucer, Legende of Good Women, 1818-9.

I had a sone, for soth, Robyn, That sholde have ben my eyre, When he was twenty wynter olde, In felde wolde juste full feyre.—A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode, I. v. 51.

An influential Cromwellian family in Co. Galway, where the place-names Eyrecourt and Eyreville perpetuate it. Codyre, found near the city of Galway, is said to be a derivative of Eyre, viz cuid Eyre. Bibl; SIF 65

For the traditional origin of this name in the circumstance of a Norman knight having, at the battle of Hastings, succoured duke William of Normandy and given him air when he was in danger of suffocation-see English Surn. ii. 3. The true meaning of the name seems to be heir (haeres) since the H.R. give us the forms of Le Eyr, and Le Eyre; in fact the Old English orthography usually rejects the initial h in this word. Brother, Cousin, Friend, and various other words expressive of consanguineous and social relations, are also found in our family nomenclature.

The same as Ayres or Ayre (which see).

1. A local English name. 2. From Le Heir, Heres. William and Wyrnarc Heres occur in Normandy 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). Adam, Geoffry, John, Nicholas le Eyr, and others in England, c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum). Hence the Earls of Newburgh and Lords Eyre.

Or Ayre (English), anciently le Eyre, i. e., the Heir; and del Eyre, i. e., of the Place or of the Aire, a river. Aire (Romance), place, small place, threshing-place.

Eyre: is a place-name in Normandy.