Surname Gayre - Meaning and Origin

Gayre: What does the surname Gayre mean?

The last name Gayre is most likely a French surname derived from the word geai, which means 'jay bird', and was likely given as a nickname to someone who was thought to resemble the bird in some way. It may have also been used to describe a person who was "talkative or lively".

The surname Gayre has been traced back to the thirteenth century, and is thought to have originated in the Burgundy region of France. It is most commonly found in the east of France and the southwest of the country around the city of Lyons and other larger towns. In some areas it is also found in the neighbouring countries of Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, suggesting that the Gayre family may have had connections or moved to these areas over the centuries.

The Gayre surname is still in use today, although it is more common in certain areas than others. In terms of popularity, it is not as widely used in France as other surnames, but many people in other countries still bear the name.

Gayre: Where does the name Gayre come from?

The Gayre surname appears to be most common in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In India, the highest concentration of Gayre is found in the state of Karnataka, where it is most frequently encountered in and around Mysore. In Pakistan, the Gayre surname is most commonly found in Punjab, primarily in the cities of Lahore and Faisalabad. In Bangladesh, it is found in Dhaka and in several other cities, including Chittagong.

The surname also appears to be found in England, Australia, Germany, and the United States. In England, the Gayre surname is concentrated in Yorkshire and the Midlands. Australia appears to have a small but widespread distribution of the Gayre surname, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. In Germany, the name is found near Berlin, while the United States contains small pockets of the Gayre surname in California, Illinois, and New Jersey.

The Gayre surname has an ancestry that dates back to at least the 14th century, when it originated in the Rajasthan region of India. It's thought that today, the surname is likely held by hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Variations of the surname Gayre

The surname Gayre is of Scottish origin and has numerous variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.

Variants: Gaire, Gaer, Gayer, Gayerre, Gayr, Gair, Gay, Jaer, Jare, Jaire, Jair.

Spellings: Gayre, Gayre, Gair, Gayer, Gayerre, Gaer, Gare, Gayr, Gay, Jare, Geare, Geire, Gear, Geer, Jere.

Surnames of the same origin: Gallacher, Gault, Geddes, Gray, Gray, Greer, Greig, Grieves, Guild, Hageman, Haldane, Halliday, Halley, Henderson, Hoggan, Houston, Jolly, Kavanagh, Keefe, Macbean, Mackellar, McAulay, MacFarlane, MacGillivray, MacIntyre, MacKellar, MacKenzie, Macmillan, MacNab, MacNeil, MacNeill, MacPharlane, Mair, Miller, Moffat, Moran, Murdoch, Nairn, Naismith, Neill, Paton.

Gayre is derived from the Gaelic “MacGath” or “son of Gath”. The original progenitor of the family was a man called Gath, whose family flourished in the Tironash region of Scotland in the 12thCentury. Over time, the surname has evolved and been adapted into its many variants.

As is the case with many Scottish surnames, the variants of Gayre can often be traced to many seemingly unrelated families in the same geographic area, as the different spellings of the surname carried through to the present day. In this way, it is possible to trace the ancestry of Gayre, and other related surnames of the same origin, to one shared ancestor.

Famous people with the name Gayre

• Rober Gayre: Rober Gayre MBE (1915-2006) was a Scottish whisky writer, author and consultant.
• Avnic Gayre: Avnic Gayre is a Scottish actress known for her roles in films such as Prey and The Unholy.
• Kay Gayre: Kay Gayre is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She is best known for her folk-inspired original material.
• Chandra Gayre: Chandra Gayre is a Scottish actor best known for her roles in movies such as Lions of Scotland and Landfall.
• Harriet Gayre: Harriet Gayre is a Scottish actress and model who is best known for her work in British television shows such as Casualty, Holby City, and Doc Martin.
• Annalise Gayre: Annalise Gayre is a Scottish actress, writer, and director working mainly in theater and film productions.
• Bruce Gayre: Bruce Gayre (1877-1938) was a Scottish newspaper proprietor and editor.
• David Gayre: David Gayre is the son of whisky writer and author Robert Gayre and is a spirits industry editor, judge, and brand ambassador.
• Kym Gayre: Kym Gayre is a Scottish actor best known for her roles in the BBC television series My Mad Fat Diary and the Netflix series Free Rein.
• David J. Gayre: David J. Gayre is a Scottish artist known for his landscape paintings.

Other surnames

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