Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 664

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 664

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/664

Some of the Academy's early reports contain errors that we haven't yet corrected. Please use it with caution.

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked for information on the origin and meaning of the German surname "Myers" and its variant spellings. Here is what we have found.

The German surname variously spelled <Maier>, <Mayer>, <Meier>, etc. usually derives from a medieval German word that meant "steward" or "tenant farmer". That word in turn derived from the Latin phrase <major villae> "estate manager". The surname arose in western Germany: The form <Mayer> is found in Upper German; <Meyer> and <Meier> are typical of Westphalia-Hanover. Less commonly, the surname can derive from the given name <Meyer>, a German form of the Hebrew given name <Me-ir> [1, 3].

The particular spelling <Myers> is probably English in origin rather than German. That name also has two possible derivations: The Old French word <mire> "physician" is recorded as a byname in England in 1212, <Herewardus le Mire>. The Middle English <mire> "marsh" was used as a locative byname in 1274, <Adam del Mire> [2].

You closed your letter by saying "there should be a griffin in there somewhere". I'm afraid we couldn't figure out what you were asking. If you were referring to the arms of some family named Myers, then unfortunately we can't help you; we don't have the resources for that sort of research. You may want to read the article about "family arms" in the MFAQ for rec.heraldry, which you can find on the web at

<http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/mfaq>

I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Giulietta da Venezia.

For the Academy,

Arval Benicoeur


References

[1] Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et

Prenoms de France (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987).

[2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames

(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995).

[3] Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names, tr. Edda Gentry

(German-American Cultural Society, 1994 ISBN: 0924119357).