Maurer
An occupational surname meaning “mason” or “stoneworker,” from German.
The #1,729 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,910 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maurer is a German occupational surname for a mason, builder, or stoneworker. It comes from Middle High German müraere / mūrære, ultimately related to the word for a wall or masonry work. The form is also connected with older Germanic spellings and later variants such as Meurer and Mower/Mowrer in some anglicized contexts.
History
The name arose independently in German-speaking areas as a job-name, then spread widely through Central Europe. It is common in Germany, and was also carried abroad by German emigration, especially to North America. Historical surname scholars also noted regional spellings and sound changes that produced forms like Meurer.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Maurer with other straightforward craft names such as Baker, Smith, and Weaver, because its meaning was just as literal.
From the historical record
“Möhrle. (k): Mohrig — Mörike; Mörke. Gen. Mörcken, Maurer ni. ahd. mürftri, mhd. müraere. FN. Maurer — mit Umlaut Meurer (der „Maurer" z. B. in Schweiz. Mundart, s. Pestalozzi, Lienhard und Gertrud). Gen. if(n#r ers(niederrhein.). — Niederd.ifüArer. Maurltiiis n. lat. Ableitung yon Maurus „der”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen