Meyer (surname)
The surname Meyer is an English, Dutch, German, and Jewish surname. Many branches of the Meyer(s) family trace their origins to ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name can be derived from the German word "meiger", meaning "Mayor"; the name likely traces its origins to a wealthy landholder. There are various names that are connected by cognation in many instances (albeit not all), such as Myer, Meyr, Meier, Meijer, Mayer, Maier, Mayr, and Mair). Among German Jews, the surname "Meyer" can sometimes be converged with the similar sounding Hebrew name "Meir", which means "one who shines" in Hebrew. Geographical  distribution. As of 2014, 41.3% of all known bearers of the surname "Meyer" were residents of Germany (frequency 1:248), 26.7% of the United States (1:1,727), 11.6% of South Africa (1:592), 7.6% of France (1:1,113), 3.4% of Switzerland (1:310), 1.4% of Brazil (1:18,806) and 1.0% of Canada (1:4,620). In Germany, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:248) in the following states: