Meer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Ireland

The Meer surname is thought to derive from either the Old English word "mere," meaning "pond," or from "maere," which meant "boundary." In either case, the name was probably topographic, taken on by someone who lived near one these features.

Early Origins of the Meer family

The surname Meer was first found in Somerset at Meare, a village and civil parish in the union of Wells, hundred of Glaston-Twelve-Hides, north west of Glastonbury. Nearby is Meare Lake Village, the site of an Iron Age settlement. The Abbot's Fish House was built in the 14th century when Adam of Sodbury was the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey. One of the first records of the place name was as Mere, which was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 The place name literally means "place at the pool or lake." 2

Ancient rolls include various early spellings: Robert atte Mere was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1269 and Adam del Mere was recorded in Yorkshire in 1307. 3

Early History of the Meer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meer research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1659 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Meer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Meares, Mear, Mears, Meer, Meere and others.

Early Notables of the Meer family

More information is included under the topic Early Meer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Meer family to Ireland

Some of the Meer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Meer, who was naturalized in Philadelphia in 1798

Meer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Meer, who was naturalized in Pennsylvania in 1802
Isaac Van Der Meer and his family, who settled in Iowa in 1849
Ant je VanDer Meer, who landed in Iowa in 1849 4
Dirk VanDer Meer, who arrived in Iowa in 1849 4
Frans VanDer Meer, who landed in Iowa in 1849 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Meer migration to Australia +

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

Meer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Meer, (b. 1800), aged 41, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. John Meer, (b. 1823), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in Taunton, Somerset, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Robert Meer, (b. 1821), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Taunton, Somerset, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mary Meer, aged 20, a housemaid, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" 7
Thomas Meer, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Navarino" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Meer (post 1700) +

Russell Harlan Meer (1918-1994), American Major League Baseball pitcher
John Samuel Vander Meer (1914-1997), American baseball player, who was the only player to pitch no-hitters in two consecutive games
Melvyn L Meer, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Maryland 5th District, 1968 9
William Meer (1844-1902), English cricketer
Rashid Meer (1950-2021), Gujarati Gujarati language ghazal poet, critic, editor and researcher
Johan van der Meer (1656-1705), Dutch painter
Susie van der Meer, German singer-songwriter
Barend van der Meer (1659-1700), Dutch Golden Age still life painter
Johan van der Meer (1913-2011), Dutch choral conductor
Vonne van der Meer (b. 1952), Dutch prose writer and playwright
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
South Australian Register Tuesday 17th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emerald Isle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emeraldisle1854.shtml
South Australian Register. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1857. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1857.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html