Maier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestral home of the Maier family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Maier 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 Maier family
The surname Maier 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 Maier family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maier 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 Maier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Maier Spelling Variations
One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Maier include Mayer, Maier, Meyer, Meier, Mayr, Meyr, Myer and many more.
Early Notables of the Maier family
Prominent among members of the name Maier 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 Maier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Maier Ranking
In the United States, the name Maier is the 3,021st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Maier is ranked the 5,437th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2
Maier migration to the United States +
Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Maier or a variant listed above:
Maier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Andries Maier, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
- Hans Adam Maier, who landed in New York in 1709 3
- Maties Maier, aged 32, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1741 3
- Johann Jacob Maier, who arrived in America in 1747 3
- Baltus Maier, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Maier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Johann Martin Maier, who arrived in America in 1840-1850 3
- Matthias Maier, who landed in America in 1840-1850 3
- Franz Jakob Maier, who arrived in North America in 1843 3
- Georg Maier, who arrived in Cincinnati, Oh in 1845 3
- Anton Maier, aged 30, who landed in Galveston, Tex in 1845 aboard the ship "Garonne" 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Maier Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Christian Tobias Maier, who landed in Mississippi in 1906 3
- Fred Maier, who arrived in Mississippi in 1906 3
- Paul Maier, who arrived in America in 1920 3
- Ernst Maier, who arrived in America in 1923 3
Maier migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Maier Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- Christina Maier, aged 21, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
- Daniel Maier, aged 19, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
- Paulina Maier, aged 11, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Contemporary Notables of the name Maier (post 1700) +
- Werner Lucas Maier (b. 1966), former German American football player
- Robert Phillip Maier (1915-1993), American Major League Baseball third baseman
- Guy Maier (1891-1956), noted American pianist, composer and arranger
- Walter A. Maier (1893-1950), noted American radio personality, public speaker, prolific author, university professor, scholar of ancient Semitic languages and culture, Lutheran theologian and editor
- Mitchell William Maier (b. 1982), American Major League Baseball outfielder
- Henry Walter Maier (1918-1994), American politician
- Henry W. Maier (1918-1994), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate 9th District, 1951-60; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1956; Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1960-88 4
- David P. Maier, American Republican politician, Candidate for Maryland State Senate 12th District, 1998 4
- David Maier, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1924 4
- Connie Maier, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1972 4
- ... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Maier family +
Bismarck
- Karl Maier (1919-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5
- Hubert Maier (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5
- Eugen Maier (1922-1941), German Matrose II who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5
- Anton Maier (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5
- Mr. Xaver Maier (1911-1937), German Head Chef from Walldorf, Germany, who worked on board the Hindenburg LZ-129 and survived the Airship Fire 6
St. Francis Dam
- Mr. Frank Maier, with 3 children, American resident in Santa Clarita who survived when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
- Mrs. Maier, with 3 children, American resident in Santa Clarita who survived when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
- Hindenburg Disaster Passenger List | Airships.net. (Retrieved 2014, April 11) . Retrieved from http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/hindenburg-passenger-list/