DYER
 Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Dyer family in Ireland was O  Duibhir and Mac Duibhir. These are both derived from the word dubh, which means  black, and odhar or uidhir, which means duncoloured.
 Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized  in the middle ages. Therefore, one's name was recorded several different spellings  during the life of the bearer. Variations of the Dyer family name include Dwyer,  O'Dwyer, Dwire and Dyer.
 Ireland became inhospitable for many native families in the 19th centuries. Poverty,  lack of opportunities, high rents and discrimination forced thousands to leave the  island for England & North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred  with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840's. 
 Counties Sligo and Roscommon in Ireland were the two counties most Dyer families  originated from. The Dyer family in this tree started their journey from Sligo,  Ireland at the time of the Potato Famine and settled in Yorkshire, England.

WOODWARD
 This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and comes from a medieval  occupational name for a forester, a man employed to look after the trees and  the game in the forest. This was a very important and well respected  profession, since the woods and the game animals therein were usually  preserved against poachers and were solely for the use and enjoyment of the  king or the local lord of the manor. The derivation of the name is from the  Olde English pre 7th Century "wudu", wood, and "weard" guardian or protector.  The first reported spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sewhal  le Wudeward, which is dated 1208, in the "Pipe Rolls of Hampshire", during the  reign of King John, know as "Lackland", 1199-1216.

STUART
 Recorded in the spellings of Stewart, Steuart and Stuart, this famous royal  Scottish name is perhaps surprisily of pre 7th century Olde English origin. In  ancient times it was widely used as an occupational name for a senior  official. Derived from the word "stigweard" a compound of "stig" meaning house (hold) plus "weard" a guardian, it was the title used by an officer who  controlled the domestic affairs of a royal or noble household. In Scotland  after the 12th century it took on a meaning of even greater importance. The  Scottish royal family surname "Stuart or Stewart" the spelling have varied  over the centuries, originated from holding the hereditary office of High  Steward of Scotland over several centuries from about 1157. In so far that the  family originally had a surname it was the French "Dapifer" the family came  from Brittany! King Robert 2nd 1371-1392 was the first Steward to hold the  crown of Scotland. The earliest recording of the surname included Nicolas  Staward of Somerset in 1273 and William le Fiz Stywarde of Berwick in 1296.  The first recorded spelling is believed to be that of Rogere se Stiwerd 1100  in the "Old English Byname Register".

POWELL
 The Welsh surname POWELL comes from the personal name HOEL or HOWELL, which were both  derived from the old Welsh name HOVEL. The surname POWELL features the distinctive  Welsh patronymic prefix ap-. The origin form of the name was ap-Hoel or ap-Howell,  but the prefixes have been assimilated into the surname over the course of time. Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but the have an inordinately large  number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance  of Welsh variants, but earliest is found during the middle ages when Welsh surnames  came into use. At this time there was no uniform spelling rules and because the  general population was illiterate, they could not specify a particular rendition of  their names. Therefore, scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded,  which often resulted in a single person’s name being inconsistently recorded over his  lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for  variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the  English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It is also common for  members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a  branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic  affiliations. For all these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh  names are very important. The surname has often been spelt Powell, Powel and others