How common is the surname Ayers?

39,623 people in the United States had the surname Ayers in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,792 Americans. It ranked 875th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ayers?

Roy Ayers, American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer (1940–2025), followed by Dick Ayers.

Where is the surname Ayers most common?

Wikidata records people named Ayers in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Is the surname Ayers getting more or less common?

More common. 38,836 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,623 in 2010, up 2.0%.

Is Ayers also a first name?

Yes. Ayers is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Ayers

A surname, carried by 39,623 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex A620

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ayers is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

An English surname from Middle English from Middle English eir (“heir”).

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 39,623 people named Ayers in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,792 Americans. That is up 2.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 38,836.

#875

rank among US surnames

39,623

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2%

change since 2000 (was #812)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#866	Boyle	39,921	7,734
#867	Hanna	39,890	7,740
#868	Pace	39,879	7,742
#869	Rush	39,802	7,757
#870	Hurley	39,796	7,758
#871	Harding	39,787	7,760
#872	McConnell	39,754	7,766

Who is named Ayers

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

83% of people named Ayers identified as white (not Hispanic), 12% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.1% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 83%
Black (not Hispanic) 12%
Two or more races 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Ayerss

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Roy Ayers
American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer (1940–2025)
Dick Ayers
American comic book artist (1924-2014)
Roy E. Ayers
American politician (1882-1955)
Henry Ayers
Australian politician (1821-1897)

Notable Ayerss come mostly from the United States (3) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Ayars

Surnames that sound like Ayers

Ayres

Ayers has the Soundex code A620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A620.

Questions

How common is the surname Ayers?: 39,623 people in the United States had the surname Ayers in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,792 Americans. It ranked 875th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ayers?: In the 2010 Census, 83% of people named Ayers identified as white (not Hispanic), and 12% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ayers?: Roy Ayers, American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer (1940–2025), followed by Dick Ayers.
Where is the surname Ayers most common?: Wikidata records people named Ayers in the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Is the surname Ayers getting more or less common?: More common. 38,836 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,623 in 2010, up 2.0%.
What are other spellings of Ayers?: Ayars.
Is Ayers also a first name?: Yes. Ayers is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.