MEYER
The surname Meyer is principally of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word meiger, which denoted a steward or bailiff. As an occupational appellation it originally identified an individual who exercised authority over the management of an estate or farm.
In addition to this Germanic source, the name is recorded in a variety of spellings—including Maier, Maior, Mair, Mayer, Mayor, Meijer, Meyer and Meier—and is linked to the Latin personal name Magnus (meaning “the great one”). This dual etymology reflects the surname’s early appearance in Roman and Frankish contexts prior to the fifth century, after which it became established in England, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland as both a baptismal and, from the twelfth century AD, a hereditary surname.
The term meyer was also employed as a status designation, describing the headman or “mayor” of a town or district. In medieval Scotland the title referred to an officer who delivered summonses and other legal writs, and a 1426 Scottish Act of Parliament described the mair as the king’s “Sergeant”, entitled to bear a horn and a wand. In England the word was applied to the chief civil officer of a borough, and occasionally used as a nickname for a pompous or officious person.
Early documentary evidence of the surname includes William le Maier of Somerset (1243) and Henry Meyer and Bartholomew le Meyre of Norfolk (1275). The earliest known spelling is that of Heinrich Meier of Zurich, Switzerland, dated circa 1172 in the city’s rolls and charters. In the seventeenth‑century German state of Lippe a number of compound forms evolved, such as Surmeyer, Surmeyers and Suermeier, later Americanised as Surmeir, all indicating a “high mayor” or “elder mayor”.
From its German heartland the surname Meyer spread extensively through immigration, particularly to the United States, where it remains a common family name. Contemporary bearers of the name may use any of its numerous variants, and the patronymic forms Mayers and Meyers are also frequently encountered.
Typical given names associated with the Meyer surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Jessica
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Meyer in...
Braille
⠍⠑⠽⠑⠗
Morse
--.-.--..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 3,749 people named Meyer in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,481st most common surname in Britain. Around 58 in a million people in Britain are named Meyer.
Origin: German
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Germany
Language of origin: German
Famous people named Meyer
- Urban Meyer - American college football player, college football coach, BCS national champion
- Dakota Meyer - United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
- Stephenie Meyer - American author
- Joyce Meyer - American author
- Dina Meyer - American actress
- Sir Anthony Meyer, 3rd Baronet - Politician (1920 to 2004)
- F. B. Meyer - Baptist pastor and evangelist (1847 to 1929)
- David Meyer - Actor
- Jack Meyer - Educator and cricketer (1905 to 1991)
- Christopher Meyer - Diplomat
- Anthony Meyer - Actor
- Michael Meyer - Norwegian writer (1921 to 2000)
- Barrie Meyer - Cricketer and football player (1932 to 2015)
- James Meyer - Cricketer
- William Meyer - Cricketer (1883 to 1953)
- Victoria Meyer-Laker - Rower
- Constance Meyer - Tennis player (1882 to 1967)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.