Meyer
A common German surname meaning a steward, bailiff, or tenant farmer, ultimately from a word for “greater” or “superior.”
The #183 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,046 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Meyer is a German occupational surname. Historical dictionaries connect it with German meier, Old High German meior, and ultimately with Medieval Latin major (from Latin maior, “greater” or “superior”). In medieval usage, it referred to a steward, bailiff, or chief farm manager—someone who held authority over an estate or manor. In some places the same word also came to mean a farmer or tenant farmer.
History
The name became one of the standard German surnames and spread widely through German-speaking regions. It also produced many local and Anglicized forms, including Mayer, Meier, and Myers in some families. In English sources, it is often treated as the German equivalent of French Lemaire and related official or administrative surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname dictionaries, Meyer is often grouped with other “mayor” or “steward” names because the title and the estate-office could overlap in medieval life.
From the historical record
“(S.Fr. molinier), Lat. molinarius] MEYER (Ger.) Steward, Bailiff; Farmer [Ger. meier, O.H.Ger. meior; i. L.Lat. major {domus), head servant ; Lat. major, maior, compar. of magnus, great] MINDEL (Ger.) see Mendel, the commoner form. MOELLER 1 (Scand.) Miller [Dan.-Norw.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)