Brauer
A German occupational surname meaning a brewer, especially a beer-brewer.
The #6,858 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,932 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Brauer comes from Middle High German briuwer / brouwer, meaning "brewer." It is an occupational surname for someone who brewed beer. Related spellings and forms include Bräuer and Breuer, reflecting regional pronunciation and spelling differences.
History
The name is common in German-speaking areas and appears in several regional variants. Historical sources also note related forms in the Rhineland, Low German, and East Frisian areas, showing how the occupational word developed differently by dialect. In some places it was also used or understood alongside house-name and place-name forms, but the core sense remains "brewer."
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some historical sources explicitly gloss Brauer as a "bier-brauer," making the beer connection very direct.
From the historical record
“Spottname =» Bierfiedler. Brauer III. mhd. briuwer, brouwer der „Bier- brauer"; mit Umlaut Bräuer (eine „Bräuer- gasse" in Dresden, auch „Bierbrauer" im Münch. Adreßb.). FN. Brauer — Bräuer, Breuer. Gen.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen