Explore the Family Name Mayer
The meaning of Mayer
1. English (Staffordshire): post-medieval form of Mear, which is either a topographic name, from Middle English mere ‘pond, pool’ (Old English mere) or Middle English mere ‘boundary’ (Old English (ge)mǣre), or a habitational name from one or more of the many places with names derived from these terms, such as Mere (Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire), Meir in Caverswall (Staffordshire), and Meare (Somerset). 2. English: occupational name for a physician, from Old French mire, Middle English mire, meir, meyre, originally synonymous with Myer. 3. English: occasionally an occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English, Old French mair(e) (from Latin maior ‘greater, superior’; compare Mayor). In France the title denoted various minor local officials, and the same is true of Scotland (see Mair 2). In England, however, the term was normally restricted to the chief officer of a borough, and the surname may have been given not only to a citizen of some standing who had held this office, but also as a nickname to a pompous or officious person. 4. German and Dutch (of German origin): variant of Meyer 1. This form of the surname (or its transliteration) is also established in many other parts of Europe, most notably in Russia, France (Alsace, Lorraine, and Nord), and Hungary. Compare Myers. 5. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from a variant of the personal name Meyer (see Meyer 2). 6. Americanized (or Germanized) form of Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, and German Majer. 7. Dutch: variant, archaic or Americanized, of Maijer, an occupational name for a reaper or mower, from Middle Dutch mader, Dutch maaier. 8. Altered form of French Canadian Maillé (see Maille 1). Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Otto, Hans, Franz, Helmut, Wilhelm, Erwin, Gerhard, Heinz, Ilse, Lorenz, Wolfgang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Mayer in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Mayer has seen a slight decrease in the past decade. In 2000, Mayer was ranked 803rd in terms of prevalence amongst U.S. surnames, but this ranking dropped to 880th by 2010, marking a decrease of 9.59%. However, the actual count of individuals with the Mayer surname increased marginally from 39,111 in 2000 to 39,555 in 2010, a change of 1.14%. Consequently, the proportion of Mayer per 100,000 people dropped by 7.52% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #803 | #880 | -9.59% |
| Count | 39,111 | 39,555 | 1.14% |
| Proportion per 100k | 14.5 | 13.41 | -7.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mayer
Regarding ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census provides a breakdown of the ethnic identity associated with the Mayer surname. In 2000, 94.55% of those with the Mayer surname identified as White, decreasing to 93.11% by 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw the greatest increase, rising from 2.19% in 2000 to 3.04% in 2010, an increase of 38.81%. Similarly, the Asian/Pacific Islander group also saw an increase from 0.66% to 0.91%, a change of 37.88%. The percentage of those identifying as two or more races rose from 1.13% to 1.34%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native increased from 0.30% to 0.36%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black individuals with the Mayer surname saw a smaller rise from 1.17% to 1.25%, indicating a 6.84% increase over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.55% | 93.11% | -1.52% |
| Hispanic | 2.19% | 3.04% | 38.81% |
| Two or More Races | 1.13% | 1.34% | 18.58% |
| Black | 1.17% | 1.25% | 6.84% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.66% | 0.91% | 37.88% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.3% | 0.36% | 20% |
Mayer ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Mayer is French & German, which comprises 34.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (31.3%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (11.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 34.5% |
| British & Irish | 31.3% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 11.0% |
| Other | 23.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Mayer
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Mayer have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 66.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 66.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 65.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 65.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 65.60% |
What Mayer haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Mayer is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-V13 and R-L2, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hoffman, Schneider, Wolf, Weber, Wagner, Schmidt, Klein, Kramer, Meyer, Becker.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Mayer surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Mayer have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Mayer" Surname 44.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Mayer" Surname 25.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Mayer" Surname 20.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Mayer" Surname 16.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Mayer?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Mayer are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition