An English and Scottish surname Ayers comes from the Old English term ‘ealhhere’ which meant a temple army. With the Middle English term of ‘eir’ it mean a heir. The spelling variations for Ayers include Ayre, Air, Ayr and Ayer. The Ayers families began in the region of Ayrshire in southwest Scotland. Over the centuries they spread into England, living in the city of London, Kent, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Within the United States the Ayers families originated in New York Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Washington, California, Illinois and Kentucky. Famous: Kevin Ayers (singer), Roy Ayers (musician), Stephen Michael Ayers (actor), Michael Ayers (English philosopher), Henry Ayers (Premier of South Australia), John Douglas Ayers (movie actor) and Edward L. Ayers (president of the University of Richmond).