Maier
A German surname meaning “mayor,” “steward,” or “farm overseer,” originally tied to an estate manager or village official.
The #2,557 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,843 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maier is a German surname from Middle High German meier, a word for a steward, farm manager, or local official overseeing land for a lord. The deeper source is Latin major, meaning “greater” or “senior,” which developed into a title for an administrator or headman. In some regions the spelling with -a- was favored, alongside Meyer and Meier, but the underlying sense is usually the same.
History
The name is widespread across German-speaking Europe and has generated many regional spellings and compounds. The excerpts note that it appears especially often in southwest German areas and in numerous compound surnames such as Steinmaier and Stegmayer. German immigration helped carry the name into English-speaking countries, where it became established in censuses and local records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source remarked that Maier and related forms were so common they formed one of the largest surname families in German onomastics.
From the historical record
“1603. Married— Jasnes Barley and Eliz. Maier: Su Dwnia Backchorch, p. 14. Loadon, 3: Philadelphia, 4; Boston Barlow. — Local, *of Barlow.*”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)