Geneanet > Resources > Family Names > MAYER

Origin and popularity of the name MAYER

Origin

Mayer : 1: English (Staffordshire): post-medieval form of Mear which is either a topographic name from Middle English mere ‘pond pool’ (Old English mere) or Middle English mere ‘boundary’ (Old English (ge)mǣre) or a habitational name from one or more of the many places with names derived from these terms such as Mere (Cheshire Lincolnshire Wiltshire) Meir in Caverswall (Staffordshire) and Meare (Somerset).2: English: occupational name for a physician from Old French mire Middle English mire meir meyre originally synonymous with Myer.3: English: occasionally an occupational name for a mayor from Middle English Old French mair(e) (from Latin maior ‘greater superior’; compare Mayor). In France the title denoted various minor local officials and the same is true of Scotland (see Mair 2). In England however the term was normally restricted to the chief officer of a borough and the surname may have been given not only to a citizen of some standing who had held this office but also as a nickname to a pompous or officious person.4: German and Dutch (of German origin): variant of Meyer 1. This form of the surname (or its transliteration) is also established in many other parts of Europe most notably in Russia France (Alsace Lorraine and Nord) and Hungary. Compare Myers.5: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from a variant of the personal name Meyer (see Meyer 2).6: Americanized (or Germanized) form of Polish Czech Slovak Slovenian Croatian Serbian Hungarian and German Majer.7: Dutch: variant archaic or Americanized of Maijer an occupational name for a reaper or mower from Middle Dutch mader Dutch maaier.8: Altered form of French Canadian Maillé (see Maille 1).