Show ContentsDemeyere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestral home of the Demeyere family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Demeyere is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a mayor, or elected head of the community. The name stems from the German word "meier," meaning mayor.

Early Origins of the Demeyere family

The surname Demeyere was first found in southern Germany, where the family was anciently seated. The name referred at first to the representative of the lord of a manor, and later to the administrator or tenant of a small court.

Early History of the Demeyere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Demeyere research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1363, 1400, 1618, 1643, 1646, 1650, 1653, 1689, 1712, 1713, 1725, 1760, 1763, 1786, 1825, 1832, 1845, 1847, 1849, 1857, 1870 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Demeyere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Demeyere Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Demeyere include Mayer, Maier, Meyer, Meier, Mayr, Meyr, Myer and many more.

Early Notables of the Demeyere family

Prominent among members of the name Demeyere in this period include Conrad Meyer (1618-1689), a Swiss painter and engraver from Zurich; Johann Friedrich Mayer (1650-1712), a German Lutheran theologian; Rupert Ignaz Mayr (1646-1712), a German violinist, composer and Kapellmeister in Munich; Hans Heinrich Meyer (1760-1832), a Swiss painter and...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Demeyere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Demeyere family

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Demeyere or a variant listed above: Hans Mayer, who was the first bearer of this name to arrive in the New World. He came to Lancaster, Pa. in 1709. During the next 150 years, close to five hundred bearers of this name came to North America, most arriving in Philadelphia between 1730 and 1760.



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