Given name & surname
Meyer
“giving light”·“a large man”·“a farmer”
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.
Meaning & origin
What it means
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
Where it comes from
In English use, Meyer has a related form in Meir. An origin associated with Meir is Hebrew. Meyer is a variant of Mayer. Mayer has been associated with Latin, German, and Hebrew naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Meyer developed from מאיר.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Meyer through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,612
- 5,404 boys · 208 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 214 babies
- 2025
- 105
- #1,693 for boys · #11,582 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +32%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 85% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 97 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,693 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 214 in 1917. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,851 as a first name in 2020; 147,096 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Meyer’s family of names
In German usage, Meyer has a later derivative in Major. In English usage, Meyer has a related form in Meir. Meyer has a related form in Mayer.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Meyer has relatives in 6 languages.
18 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Meyer
- Meyer LanskyAmerican gangster1902–1983
- Meyer GuggenheimAmerican businessperson (1828–1905)1827–1905
- M. H. AbramsAmerican literary theorist (1912–2015)
- Meyer SchapiroAmerican historian of art (1904–1996)
- Marcel BluwalFrench film director and screenwriter (1925–2021)
- Meyer KayserlingGerman rabbi, historian (1829-1905)
- Meyer LondonAmerican politician (1871–1926)
- Meyer LevinAmerican journalist (1905–1981)
- Meyer FortesSouth African anthropologist (1906–1983)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Meyer, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Emil
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
>99% boys
Booker
“one who binds books; a scribe”
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Wilmer
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Warner
“of the defending army”
98% boys · 2% girls
Buck
“resembling a male deer”
>99% boys
Cecil
“one who is blind” · “the sixth-born child”
>99% boys
Emile
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Casimir
“one who demands peace”
>99% boys