Show ContentsBayer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Bayer family

The surname Bayer was first found in Lower Austria and Tyrol, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation, which would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, each playing a significant role in local social and political affairs. Literally, the name means "Bavarian," but all of the most prominent branches arose in either Austria or Wuerttemberg, and in particular regions bordering on Bavaria.

Early History of the Bayer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bayer research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1568, 1572, 1575, 1625, 1635, 1647, 1677, 1697, 1735, 1804, 1806, 1814, 1815 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Bayer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bayer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bair, Baier, Bayr, Bayer, Bayre, Bayerle, Bayerl and others.

Early Notables of the Bayer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Bayer were

  • Johann Bayer (1572-1625), a German lawyer and uranographer (celestial cartographer)
  • Anton Bayer von Heidelberg, a calvary captain of the famous Hussar regiments
  • Johann Bayer von Bayersfeld, the distinguished commandant of the 4th land battalion of Olmuetz

Bayer Ranking

In the United States, the name Bayer is the 3,550th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Bayer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bayer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Bayer, who arrived in New York in 1715 [2]
  • Catharina Bayer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1720 [2]
  • Christopher Bayer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [2]
  • Anna Bayer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [2]
  • Katharina Bayer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bayer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joh Bayer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1800 [2]
  • Louis Bayer, who landed in New York, NY in 1836 [2]
  • Kung Bayer, aged 8, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 [2]
  • Mary Bayer, aged 4, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 [2]
  • Marg Bayer, aged 11, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Bayer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bayer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Emilia Bayer, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1897

Australia Bayer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bayer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Bawden Bayer, aged 24, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Sumner"

New Zealand Bayer migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bayer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Eva Bayer, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen Bee" in 1872

Contemporary Notables of the name Bayer (post 1700) +

  • Friedrich Bayer (1825-1880), German founder of what would become Bayer, the German chemical and pharmaceutical company in 1863
  • Herbert Bayer (1900-1985), Austrian-born, American graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor and art director
  • Frederick Merkle Bayer (1921-2007), American emeritus curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
  • Bryce E. Bayer (1929-2012), American scientist for Kodak who invented the Bayer filter
  • Samuel David Bayer (b. 1965), American visual artist, cinematographer, commercial, music video and film director
  • Thomas Bayer, American public relations expert
  • Oswald Bayer (b. 1939), German ecclesiastic and professor of theology
  • Alvin Bayer III, prominent Florida dentist, chairman of the Nassau County Cancer Society, and chairman of the Nassau County United Fund
  • Osvaldo Bayer (b. 1927), Argentine writer and journalist
  • Josef Bayer (1852-1913), Austrian composer and the director of the Austrian Court Ballet from 1883 until his death
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bismarck
  • Ernst Bayer (1922-1941), German Matrose who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [3]
Halifax Explosion
  • Miss Dolly Marguerite  Bayer (1898-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [4]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
  4. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


Houseofnames.com on Facebook