The Bair surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,740 people carried this name — #3,052 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 25,100 people counted. That is up 6% from 11,027 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 39 births for the Bair name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 34
Leinster 4
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Bair in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1960s.

2,786 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bair. The most, 544, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 914
New South Wales 600
South Australia 500
Queensland 491
Western Australia 176
Tasmania 98
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bair.

Who carried it

People named Bair,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Hilbert Bair
    Hilbert Bair 1894–1985 · flying ace
  • J. Park Bair 1864– · politician
  • John M. Bair 1884–1964 · artist
  • Donald Bair 1903–1973 · politician
  • Edward Jay Bair 1922– · writer
  • William J. Bair 1924–2015 · radiobiologist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bair,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States638 records

638 records of the Bair name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 395
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 114
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 56
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 32
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 20
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 16
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clarence W. Bair

    Born 1918 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1941 at Newark, New Jersey; construction foreman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Presbyterian Cemetery, Springfield, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Jacob Bair

    Born 1935; from Hollywood, Florida. U.S. Army, utility helicopter repairer; died in an accident 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anna Maria Bair

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Rhein from Rotterdam, aged 58; farmer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 638 records for Bair in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia32 records

32 records of the Bair name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 20
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 9
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jno Bair

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Saldanha, aged 24; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Arthur Cowan Bair

    Barman of Leongatha, Victoria; died 1972.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record James Bair

    Left Launceston in 1849 aboard the Munford, bound for Auckland, as a seaman.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 32 records for Bair in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Germany10 records

10 records of the Bair name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Eugen Bair

    From Zöbingen, Ellwangen. Reported dead in the Württemberg casualty list of 9 January 1915 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 124).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Bair

    From Bernried, Oberb. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 28 November 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 15).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Bair

    From Binnenbach, Oberb. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 8 September 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Bair in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France5 records

5 records of the Bair name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Abdelkader Bair

    Born 1915 in Algeria; died 1999 in Lyon (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Sadir Bair

    Born 1948 in Pariseme Arrondissement (Paris); died 2001 in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Hassein Bair

    Born 1965 in Paris; died 1988 in Malakoff (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Bair in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Bair name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Antoin Bair

    Married in 1772 in Halsteren; born in Clermont in Frankrijk.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kind Bair

    Buried in 1725 in Vlijmen.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Langstraat Heusden Altena (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Josef Bair

    In a population register; born 1878.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Bair in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Bair name in Canada Nova Scotia Archives name indexes
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Clifford Bair

    Died 1920 in Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bair.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bair is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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