Meyers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Meyers comes from one of the family having worked as a person who held the office of mayor. The surname was originally derived from the Old English word maire, which referred to the officer who was in charge of executing summonses and other legal matters. Therefore, the original bearer of the surname Meyers held the office of Mayor. 1
Early Origins of the Meyers family
The surname Meyers was first found in Cheshire at Mere, a township, in the parish of Rosthern, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Mera. 2
Literally, the place name means "(place at) the pool or lake," from the Old English word "mere." 3 Alternatively, the surname could have originated at Mere in Wiltshire, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Mere. This parish was listed in the Domesday Book, but with the current spelling of Mere. 2
In this case, "the name of this place is derived from the Saxon word Mæra, signifying bounds or limits, and indicates its situation on the borders of the counties of Wilts, Somerset, and Dorset. In 1253, permission was given by Henry III. to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to build and fortify a castle on his manor of Mere, and the manor has ever since been attached to the duchy of Cornwall. " 4
The family was listed in the Roll of Battle Abbey as companions to William the Conqueror. "The descendants of this Norman knight occupied a prominent position in Staffordshire, in the time of the early Plantagenets. William de Mere occurs as High Sheriff of that county, temp. Edward II., and in the next reign, Peter de la Mere filled the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons. At an early period, the family possessed the manor of Maer, co. Stafford, and are also found resident at Norton, in the Moors. The name is spelt, in ancient deeds, de Mere, de Mare, but the more recent orthography is Mayer. " 5
For centuries the township of Lartington in the North Riding of Yorkshire belonged to the Maire family until the 16th century when it was passed by marriage to the Lawsons, of Brough. 4
Early History of the Meyers family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meyers research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1379, 1453, 1467, 1477, 1544, 1550 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Meyers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Meyers Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Meyers have been found, including: Maire, Myer, Myers, Mair, Maires, Mayers, Meyers, Meire, Meir, Mere and many more.
Early Notables of the Meyers family
More information is included under the topic Early Meyers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Meyers Ranking
In the United States, the name Meyers is the 576th most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Meyers family to Ireland
Some of the Meyers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Meyers migration to the United States +
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Meyers, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :
Meyers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Hans Heinrich Meyers, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 7
- Napthaly Hart Meyers, who landed in New York, NY in 1764 7
- Daniel Meyers, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 7
- Elisa Meyers, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1786 7
Meyers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Meta Meyers, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 7
- Charles Meyers, aged 26, who landed in Missouri in 1840 7
- George, James, John, Robert, Peter, George, Frederick, Elias, Francis, and Daniel Meyers all, who settled in Philadelphia between 1765 and 1843
- Christian Meyers, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 7
- William Meyers, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Meyers migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Meyers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. George W. Meyers U.E. who settled in Sidney [Quinte West], Ontario c. 1784 8
- Mr. George W. Meyers U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
- Mr. George Walden Meyers U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
- Mr. John Adolphus George Meyers U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
- Capt. John Walden Meyers U.E. who settled in Midland District [Lennox & Addington], Ontario c. 1786 he served in the Loyal Rangers 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Meyers migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Meyers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Frederick Meyers, (Myers), (b. 1785), aged 35, British pastry baker born in Germany who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1851 9
- John Meyers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Meyers (post 1700) +
- Lawrence Steven Meyers (1956-2023), American actor and film producer known for his roles in Dick Tracy and Battle Beyond the Stars
- Gerald Carl Meyers (1928-2023), American industrialist, author, lecturer, and management consultant, Chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation (AMC)
- Bruce F. Meyers (1927-2021), American engineer and dune buggy designer, founder of Meyers Manx dune buggy, a small recreationally-oriented automobile
- Louis Meyers (1955-1956), American festival organizer and co-founder of South By Southwest
- David William "Dave" Meyers (1953-2015), American college basketball forward/center who played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1975 to 1980
- Hack Meyers (1973-2015), ring name of Donald Haviland, an American professional wrestler
- Brigadier-General Harry Frederick Meyers (1897-1989), American Commandant Anti-Aircraft Replacement Training Center Fort Bliss (1945-1946) 11
- Major-General Bennett Edward Meyers (1897-1979), American Deputy Director of Air Technical Service Command (1944-1948) 12
- Sidney Meyers (1906-1969), American Academy Award nominated film director and editor
- Seth Adam Meyers (b. 1973), American actor, comedian and comedy writer, current head writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live
- ... (Another 70 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Meyers family +
Triangle Waist Company
- Miss Yetta Meyers (b. 1892), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 13
Suggested Readings for the name Meyers +
- A Tale of Two Families: a Biographical Genealogy of the Meyers and Sparhawk Families by Dorothy Hermanne Braithwait.
- Genealogy of the Meyers Family by I. Austin Meyers.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Harry Meyers. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Meyers/Harry_Frederick/USA.html
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Bennett Meyers. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Meyers/Bennett_Edward/USA.html
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire