Vollmer
A German surname from an old personal name meaning “famous” or “renowned.”
The #5,273 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,681 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Vollmer is a German surname that goes back to the older personal name Volkmar, with related forms such as Vollmar. The first element is from Germanic words for “people,” while the second element comes from an old root meaning “famous” or “illustrious.” In other words, the name originally meant something like “famous among the people” or “renowned people-person.”
History
The surname is part of a wider German naming pattern in which old given names were shortened, reshaped, and then inherited as family names. Historical surname collections show several close spellings and related forms, especially Vollmar and Volkmar, which suggests regional variation in how the name developed. It is still found chiefly in German-speaking areas and among descendants of German emigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often treated Vollmer as a spelling variant of Vollmar rather than a completely separate name.
From the historical record
“VOLLMAR \ (Ger.) for earlier Volkmar = VOLLMER J People -Famous [see under Volkart, and + M.H.Ger. mtEre, O.H.Ger. O.L.Ger. mdri, famous, illustrious] VOOGHT (Dut.) Guardian [Dut. voogd: cp. Vogt] VOSS (Dut.) Fox [Dut. vos = Low Ger. fos”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)