Bremer
A German and Dutch surname meaning “someone from Bremen.”
The #5,195 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,856 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bremer is a habitational surname built from Bremen, the German city, plus the common ending -er, meaning “person from” or “inhabitant of.” In other words, it originally identified someone who came from Bremen. Older surname dictionaries also note German and Dutch forms such as Brämer and Bremer with the same sense.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and also appears in Dutch records. It was carried abroad by migration, which helped make it a recognizable surname in English-language countries as well. The form is straightforward enough that later reference works usually treat it as a classic place-name surname rather than a nickname or occupational name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname dictionaries gloss Bremer simply as “one from Bremen,” which is one of the clearest surname meanings you can get.
From the historical record
“Brame ; p.n. Or see Braham Bramley. A loc. n., Yorks Brammer. G. Bramer; F. Bremer; D. Brammer ; p.n. See Brame Bramwell. See Bramall Bran. A. S. Bren, Beorn (bear); G. Brann ; p.n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)