Myers
Usually an English or German surname meaning “son of Meyer” or “son of Myer,” with Meyer/Myer often linked to a personal name meaning “greater” or “steward.”
The #96 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,343 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Myers is commonly treated as a patronymic surname: it developed as “Myer’s son” or, more generally, from a family name such as Meyer or Myer. In the English tradition, the sources point to Myer as the base name; in Germanic usage, Meyer/Maier often referred to a steward, tenant farmer, or manor officer. Some later spellings may also reflect continental surnames brought into English-speaking countries, especially from German- and Dutch-speaking communities.
History
English surname writers from the 19th century noted Myers as a common patronymic form alongside names like Myersson and Meyer-related variants. In the United States, the surname became widespread through multiple immigrant streams, especially English, German, and Dutch families, so modern bearers may not share a single origin. The spelling Myers also appears in British local records and in forms influenced by continental Meyer/Meyers names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers explicitly glossed Myers as “Myer’s son,” making it a textbook example of a patronymic surname that later became fixed as a single family name.
From the historical record
“MYERS, Myer's (Son) : v. Myer. MYERSCOUGH (Scand.) Bel. to Myerscough (Lanes), A.D. 1317 Mirescogh = the Bog- Wood [M.E. mire, myre, O.N. m^-r, a bog + M.E. sco{u)gh, O.N. skdg-r, a wood] MYERSON, Myer's Son : v. Myer. MYHILL =. Michael, q.v. MYLCHREESTl (Celt. + Gr.) i theManxil/ac”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)