Meyer (surname)

The surname Meyer is an English, Dutch, German, and Jewish surname. Many branches of the Meyer(s) family trace their origins to ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The surname Meyer is an occupational-heredity surname that can be derived from the Old English name "Maire", meaning "Mayor", or an officer in charge of legal matters. The name can also be derived from the German word "meiger", meaning "Mayor"; the name likely traces its origins to a wealthy landholder. There are various names that are connected by cognation in many instances (albeit not all), such as Myer, Meyr, Meier, Meijer, Mayer, Maier, Mayr, and Mair). Among German Jews, the surname "Meyer" can sometimes be converged with the similar sounding Hebrew name "Meir", which means "one who shines" in Hebrew.
Geographical distribution.
As of 2014, 41.3% of all known bearers of the surname "Meyer" were residents of Germany (frequency 1:248), 26.7% of the United States (1:1,727), 11.6% of South Africa (1:592), 7.6% of France (1:1,113), 3.4% of Switzerland (1:310), 1.4% of Brazil (1:18,806) and 1.0% of Canada (1:4,620).
In Germany, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:248) in the following states: