Given name · Hebrew · Yiddish
מאיר
“giving light”·“a large man”·“a farmer”
מאיר (meyer) is a masculine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Hebrew and Yiddish.
Hebrew and YiddishWritten in Hebrew script, read right to left. In English: alfabe çevirisi gerekiyor.
Meaning & origin
What it means
מאיר is Meyer written in the Hebrew alphabet. In English use, Meyer has a related form in Meir. One Hebrew interpretation is “giving light.” Meyer is a variant of Mayer. Interpretations include “a large man”, “a farmer”, and “one who is shining bright”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Hebrew מֵאִיר (me'ír); its root is Hebrew א־ו־ר.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
מאיר’s family of names
In Yiddish usage, מאיר has a later derivative in Meyer. In Hebrew usage, מאיר has a transliteration in alfabe çevirisi gerekiyor. In Yiddish usage, מאיר can be written in the Roman alphabet as Meyer.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named מאיר
- Meir ShalevIsraeli writer (1948–2023)
- Meir ShamgarIsraeli judge and former attorney general of Israel (1925–2019)
- Yehuda GetzIsraeli rabbi (1924–1995)
- Meier SchwarzIsraeli botanist (1926–2022)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love מאיר, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ayil
Ayil is a surname from Hebrew.
—
Ashkenaz
“fire like sprinkles” · “so fire is scattered”
>99% boys
Thamah
“wipe clean” · “strike”
>99% boys
Lamec
“to make small”
>99% boys
Japhlet
“he will deliver”
86% boys · 14% girls
Neemia
“consolation of Yahweh”
77% boys · 23% girls
Dumah
“(deadly) silence”
>99% boys
Ilìa
“Jah is my God”
>99% boys