Meyer (surname)

Meyer
Origin
Region of origin	German-speaking Europe, Netherlands, Flanders, Eastern Europe

Meyer is an originally German, Dutch and Jewish surname. With its numerous variants (Myer, Meyr, Meier, Meijer, Mayer, Maier, Mayr, Mair, Miers, etc.), it is a common German surname.^[1] Its original meaning in Middle High German is from mei(g)er, "manager (of a lord's country estate)", derived from Latin maior domus, i.e. "headman of a household" (cf. mayor), later on also meaning "tenant" or "(free) farmer". It is therefore a rough equivalent of the English Steward, which has also been turned into surnames such as Stuart.

This appellation was also frequently used to form longer, more specific surnames such as Bergmair or Niedermeier. Some German Jews adopted Meyer or a variant thereof as a surname when they assimilated to German culture in the 18th century, as it is close to the Hebrew first name Me'ir (מֵאִיר), "shining, enlightened".^[2]

Geographical distribution[edit]

In 2014, the surname Meyer was most often found (by percentage of the population) in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and South Africa. The name ranked 6th in Germany and 8th in Switzerland.^[3]

Notable people[edit]

A–D[edit]

Adolf Meyer (architect) (1881–1921), German architect
Adolf Bernhard Meyer (1840–1911), German ornithologist
Albert Meyer (politician) (1870–1953), Swiss politician
Albert Gregory Meyer (1903–1965), Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago
Alfred Meyer (1891–1945), German Nazi official
Alfred Meyer, from 1903 Alfred Meyer-Waldeck (1864–1928), German admiral
Anita Meyer (born 1954), Dutch singer
Anthony Meyer (1920–2004), British soldier, diplomat, and Conservative Party politician
Antoine Meyer (1801–1857), Belgian mathematician
Axel Meyer (born 1960), German evolutionary biologist
Bernard F. Meyer (1898–1975), American Catholic missionary to China
Bernard S. Meyer (1916–2005), New York judge
Bernhard Meyer (1767–1836), German physician and naturalist
Bertrand Meyer (born 1950), French computer scientist, designed the Eiffel programming language
Bill Meyer (artist) (born 1942), Australian artist
Birgit Meyer (born 1960), Dutch religious studies scholar
Bob Meyer (born 1939), American baseball player
Breckin Meyer (born 1974), American actor and producer
Bunny Meyer (born 1985), American YouTube vlogger
Cameron Meyer (born 1988), Australian professional racing cyclist
Carlos Enrique Meyer (born 1953), Argentine businessman and politician
Christian Meyer (disambiguation)
Christoph Meyer (born 1975), German politician
Christopher Meyer (1944–2022), British Ambassador to the U.S.
Colleen Meyer (1939–2015), American politician and businesswoman
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825–1898), Swiss poet and writer
Cord Meyer (1920–2001), American Central Intelligence Agency official
Dakota Meyer (born 1988), U.S. Medal of Honor recipient
Daniel P. Meyer (born 1965), American attorney, federal whistleblowing advocate
Debbie Meyer (born 1952), U.S. Olympic swimmer
Deon Meyer (born 1958), South African thriller novelist
Dina Meyer (born 1968), U.S. actor
Dirk Meyer, U.S. microprocessor designer
Don Meyer (1944–2014), American basketball coach
Drew Meyer (born 1981), American baseball player
Dutch Meyer (1898–1982), American college sports coach

E–K[edit]

Edgar Meyer (born 1960), U.S. double bassist
Eduard Meyer (1855–1930), German historian
Edward C. Meyer (1928–2020), U.S. Army general, former Army Chief of Staff
Elana Meyer (born 1966), South African long-distance runner
Eric Meyer (disambiguation), various people
Ernest Meyer (1865–1919), French equestrian
Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer (1791–1858), German botanist and historian of botany
Ernst Hermann Meyer (1905–1988), German composer, pianist, and musicologist
Eugene Meyer (financier) (1875–1959), American financier and newspaper publisher, former Federal Reserve Chairman
Florence Meyer (1911–1962), American portrait photographer
Frank Meyer (political philosopher) (1909–1972), U.S. conservative political philosopher
Franz Sales Meyer (1849–1927), German painter and writer, known for A Handbook of Ornament
Fred G. Meyer (1886–1978), U.S. retailer
Frederick Brotherton Meyer (1847–1929), British Baptist preacher
Fridel Meyer (1904–1982), German-born long-distance kayaker, emigrated to England
Georg Meyer (aviator) (1893–1926), German World War I flying ace
George Meyer (born 1956), U.S. TV comedy writer
George Meyer (soccer), American soccer coach
George von Lengerke Meyer (1858–1918), U.S. Secretary of the Navy
Greg Meyer (born 1955), American long-distance runner
Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer, Cargill heiress and equestrian
Hajo Meyer (1924–2014), German-Dutch physicist and Jewish political activist
Hannes Meyer (1889–1954), Swiss architect and director of the Bauhaus
Hans Meyer (1858–1929), Austrian geographer and mountaineer
Hans Horst Meyer (1853–1939), German physician and pharmacologist
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (1800–1873), German Protestant pastor and theologian
Henry Meyer (disambiguation)
Heyneke Meyer (born 1967), South African rugby union coach
Hubert Meyer (1913–2012), German Waffen-SS officer
Ilan Meyer (born 1956), American psychiatric epidemiologist
Jack Meyer (1932–1967), American professional baseball player
Jacob O. Meyer, Directing Elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh
Jean Jacques Meyer (1804–1877), French locomotive designer
Jessica Kate Meyer, American actress and rabbi
Joachim Meyer, German fencer, wrote Fundamental Descriptions of the Art of Fencing (1570)
Joe-Fio Neenyann Meyer (1918–?), Ghanaian diplomat
Johan Meyer (died 1901), German-born pioneer of the Queensland Gold Coast
Johan Meyer (born 1993), South African rugby union player
Johann Friedrich Meyer (1705–1765), German chemist
Johannes Meyer (actor) (1884–1972), Danish film actor
John Meyer (disambiguation)
John C. Meyer (1919–1975), U.S. air force officer
Joseph Meyer (publisher) (1796–1856), German industrialist and publisher
Joseph Meyer (songwriter) (1894–1987), American songwriter
Joseph A. Meyer (c. 1895 – 1970), American college sports coach
Joyce Meyer (born 1943), U.S. Christian Charismatic speaker and writer
Julius Lothar Meyer (1830–1895), German chemist
Karl Meyer (activist), American pacifist, activist, Catholic worker and tax resister
Karl E. Meyer, American journalist
Karl Friedrich Meyer (1884–1974), Swiss-born American pathologist
Katherine Meyer Graham (1917–2001), American publisher
Katie Meyer (2000–2022), American soccer player
Kenneth J. Meyer, American politician
Kerstin Meyer (1928–2020), Swedish mezzo-soprano
Kirstine Meyer (1861–1941), Danish physicist
Klaus Meyer (1937–2014), German football player
Krzysztof Meyer (born 1943), Polish composer
Kurt Meyer (Lucerne) (born 1944), Swiss politician
Kurt Meyer (Panzermeyer) (1910–1961), German officer in the Waffen-SS

L–Z[edit]

Laurenz Meyer (born 1948), German politician
Lena Meyer-Landrut (born 1991), German singer
Léon Meyer (1868–1948), French politician
Léone-Noëlle Meyer (born 1939), French businesswoman and philanthropist
Lodewijk Meyer (1629–1681), Dutch physician, classical scholar, translator, lexicographer, and playwright
Lucy Rider Meyer (1849–1922), American educator, physician, author, and social worker
Lyndsay Meyer (born 1973), US-American ski mountaineer
Maile Meyer (born 1957), Native Hawaiian activist and entrepreneur
Marany Meyer (born 1984), South African and New Zealand chess player
Marc Eugene Meyer (1842–1925), U.S. businessman
Mark Meyer (Wisconsin politician) (born 1963), U.S. politician
Marshall Meyer (1930–1993), U.S. rabbi and human rights activist
Martin A. Meyer (1879–1923), American rabbi
Mary Meyer (1917–1994), Dutch fencer
Mary Eno Pinchot Meyer (1920–1964), American painter, romantic partner of President John F. Kennedy
Maud Meyer, Sierra Leonean Nigerian singer
Max Meyer (disambiguation), several people
Michele Meyer, American politician
Miriah Meyer, American computer scientist
Nathan Meyer (born 1982), South African Paralympian
Nicholas Meyer (born 1945), U.S. film-maker
Pat Meyer (born 1972), American football player and coach
Paul Meyer (philologist) (1840–1917), French philologist
Paul-André Meyer (1934–2003), French mathematician
Peyton Meyer (born 1998), American actor
Philipp Meyer (born 1974), American author
Philipp Meyer (politician) (1892–1962), German politician
Ray Meyer (1913–2006), U.S. basketball coach
Rémo Meyer (born 1980), Swiss football (soccer) player
Rich Meyer (born 1985), American bassist
Robert B. Meyer (born 1943), American physicist
Roelf Meyer (born 1947), South African politician
Russ Meyer (1922–2004), U.S. filmmaker
Sabine Meyer (born 1959), German clarinettist
Sarah E. Meyer, American animation artist
Schuyler M. Meyer (1885–1970), New York politician
Scott Meyer, American author, comedian, and artist
Selma Meyer, Dutch pacifist, feminist and resistance fighter of Jewish origin
Stephen C. Meyer (born 1958), U.S. philosopher of science and Intelligent Design proponent
Stephenie Meyer (born 1973), American author best known as creator of the Twilight series
Sven Meyer (figure skater), German figure skater
Sven Meyer (footballer) (born 1970), German footballer
Sydney Meyer (born 1995), Canadian actress
Ted Meyer, rugby league footballer of the 1930s for New Zealand, and Northland
Thérèse Meyer (born 1948), Swiss politician
Thomas Meyer zu Schlochtern (born 1946), Dutch art curator
Urban Meyer (born 1964), American college football coach
Viktor Meyer (1848–1897), German chemist
Wilhelm Meyer (physician) (1824–1895), Danish physician, discovered adenoids and invented adenoidectomy
William Meyer (disambiguation)
Wolfgang Meyer (1954–2019), German clarinettist and professor of clarinet
Yves Meyer (born 1939), French mathematician and scientist

References[edit]

^ "Most Common Last Names In Germany". Forebears. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
^ Anita Diamant, The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies, Customs: A Guide for Today's Families (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993).
^ "Meyer Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History". forebears.io. Retrieved 2023-03-13.

This page lists people with the surname Meyer.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

[1] "Most Common Last Names In Germany". Forebears. Retrieved 4 September 2022.

[2] Anita Diamant, The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies, Customs: A Guide for Today's Families (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993).

[3] "Meyer Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History". forebears.io. Retrieved 2023-03-13.

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