Skip to website content >

MAYER Origin of surname

MAYER

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic surname derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.

Literally Mayer means "farmer" in German, however as a Jewish family name, it is a form of the Hebrew male personal name Meir. In talmudic times, people credited with bringing light or intellectual clarity to their subject were given the name Meir (Hebrew for "illuminates or radiates" or "one who sheds light"). A 2nd century, disciple of Rabbi Akiva, believed to have been named Mesha or Nehorai (the Aramaic forms), was known as Rabbi Meir because of his keenness in shedding light on the Halacha (the Jewish code of law). Associated Jewish family names are Yair ("will illuminate") and the Aramaic Nehorai ("light") or their variants and patronymics. Similarly, the names Uri and Shraga (literally "fire"). Meir is documented as a Jewish family name in Arles, France, in the 13th century. It appears as Meiger and Meyger in the 14th century in Strassbourg, as Meyr in 15th century France, as Maier in Germany in the 18th century. Other variants include May in Germany and Poland, Major in Turkey, both in the 16th century, Mayer in France and Germany, and M'riro and Merito in Morocco. Named for their forefathers, families were called Meyerson, Meyerovitch, Meyrowitz, Merovic and Ben-Meir, all meaning "son of Meir". As a Jewish name, May is documented in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in the 15th century; in the 16th-18th centuries it is recorded in the Tyrol, Austria. May families also lived in Poland and Italy.

Mayer is documented as a Jewish family name in the mid 18th century in Nancy and Paris, France.

Distinguished bearers of this name include the 19th century spiritual leader of the Jewish community and chief government privy councillor of Baden, Germany, David Mayer, who was the first Jew to serve in the Baden ministry; the 20th century French statesman, Rene Mayer, and the 20th century American motion picture producer, Louis Burt Mayer, the first president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in charge of production. In the 20th century Mayer is recorded as a Jewish family name with themayer family, who lived in the town of Zhadova (Jadova) near Chernowitz, northern Bukovina (now Ukraine), prior to World War II (1939-1945), and whose entire Jewish community was deported to the death camps in July 1941.

Moritz Mayer-Mahr (1869-1947), pianist and music teacher, born in Mannheim, Germany. He received piano lessons and later studied composition with Woldemar Bargiel and piano with Ernst Rudorff at the Berlin University of the Arts from 1886 to 1890. He became a renowned pianist and undertook concert tours, appearing as a soloist, in a duo with Willy Burmester (1869-1933) and in a trio with the cellist Heinrich Grünfeld (1855-1931) and the violinist Bernhard Dessau (1861-1923).

Mayer-Mahr was a great admirer of Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924), whom he knew personally. In 1910-1930, he recorded numerous pieces by Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, and other composers. However, his later recordings were viewed with scepticism. In 1892, he began teaching at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin and also wrote two books, Der musikalische Klavierunterricht (“The Musical Piano Lessons”) and Die Technik des Klavierspiels von den ersten Anfangen bis zur Meisterschaft (“The Technique of Piano Playing from the First Beginnings to Mastery”), which focused on pianistic techniques, form, and style, and distributed piano pieces by Johannes Brahms and etudes by Carl Czerny.

Mayer-Mahr was appointed as one of the judges of the Ibach competition for young artists at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin in 1907. He also established the Mayer-Mahr-Foundation to support his students and brought substantial donations to the foundation on his 60th birthday. However, in 1933, after the Nazis seized power in Germany, Mayer-Mahr lost his seat in the Senate of the Academy of Arts in Berlin due to his Jewish origins. He was expelled from the Reich Chamber of Music in 1935 and banned professionally in 1936. Nonetheless, he continued to teach foreigners and members of the Kulturbund Deutscher Juden. In 1937, he left the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory, appearing at events of the Kulturbund Deutscher Juden in 1937 and 1938 with other musicians. In 1938, he taught Ursula Reig, a Spanish conservatory student, free of charge, which resulted in a lawsuit from local musicians for violating the professional ban. The proceedings initially resulted in fines but were eventually dropped.

In 1940, Mayer-Mahr and his second wife, Paula née Sternberg, obtained permission to leave Germany for Norway, where they lived briefly in Vestre Aker before escaping the German occupation of Norway to Sweden, where he resumed teaching.

Uri Mayer (b.1946), conductor and violinist, born in Targu Mures, Romania. His family immigrated to Israel and he grew up in Israel. Mayer attended the Tel Aviv Conservatory from 1958 to 1964 and studied at the Rubin Music Academy of Tel Aviv University. From 1964 to 1970, he was an assistant conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Israel. He studied conducting at the Juilliard School of Music in New York from 1968 to 1970 abd during the same time he also conducted the New York Youth Symphony, performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and was the principal violinist of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, who offered him an assistant position in 1970. Meyer became the principal violinist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1970. From 1974 to 1976, he was the musical director of the University Philharmonia and the University of Michigan's Contemporary Directions Ensemble. He then returned to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as the first violinist, and then becoming its assistant conductor in 1980. From 1981 to 1995, Mayer was the musical director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He was also the musical director of the Rice University Orchestra in Houston from 1986 to 1988 and the principal conductor of the Orchestra London Canada from 1988 to 1994. From 1991 to 1999, he was the artistic director of the Israel Sinfonietta, and from 1994 to 2000, he was the chief conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, Japan. 

ANU Databases
Jewish Genealogy
Family Names
Jewish Communities
Visual Documentation
Jewish Music Center
Family Name
אA
אA
אA
MAYER Origin of surname
MAYER

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic surname derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.

Literally Mayer means "farmer" in German, however as a Jewish family name, it is a form of the Hebrew male personal name Meir. In talmudic times, people credited with bringing light or intellectual clarity to their subject were given the name Meir (Hebrew for "illuminates or radiates" or "one who sheds light"). A 2nd century, disciple of Rabbi Akiva, believed to have been named Mesha or Nehorai (the Aramaic forms), was known as Rabbi Meir because of his keenness in shedding light on the Halacha (the Jewish code of law). Associated Jewish family names are Yair ("will illuminate") and the Aramaic Nehorai ("light") or their variants and patronymics. Similarly, the names Uri and Shraga (literally "fire"). Meir is documented as a Jewish family name in Arles, France, in the 13th century. It appears as Meiger and Meyger in the 14th century in Strassbourg, as Meyr in 15th century France, as Maier in Germany in the 18th century. Other variants include May in Germany and Poland, Major in Turkey, both in the 16th century, Mayer in France and Germany, and M'riro and Merito in Morocco. Named for their forefathers, families were called Meyerson, Meyerovitch, Meyrowitz, Merovic and Ben-Meir, all meaning "son of Meir". As a Jewish name, May is documented in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in the 15th century; in the 16th-18th centuries it is recorded in the Tyrol, Austria. May families also lived in Poland and Italy.

Mayer is documented as a Jewish family name in the mid 18th century in Nancy and Paris, France.

Distinguished bearers of this name include the 19th century spiritual leader of the Jewish community and chief government privy councillor of Baden, Germany, David Mayer, who was the first Jew to serve in the Baden ministry; the 20th century French statesman, Rene Mayer, and the 20th century American motion picture producer, Louis Burt Mayer, the first president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in charge of production. In the 20th century Mayer is recorded as a Jewish family name with themayer family, who lived in the town of Zhadova (Jadova) near Chernowitz, northern Bukovina (now Ukraine), prior to World War II (1939-1945), and whose entire Jewish community was deported to the death camps in July 1941.
Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People
Moritz Mayer-Mahr

Moritz Mayer-Mahr (1869-1947), pianist and music teacher, born in Mannheim, Germany. He received piano lessons and later studied composition with Woldemar Bargiel and piano with Ernst Rudorff at the Berlin University of the Arts from 1886 to 1890. He became a renowned pianist and undertook concert tours, appearing as a soloist, in a duo with Willy Burmester (1869-1933) and in a trio with the cellist Heinrich Grünfeld (1855-1931) and the violinist Bernhard Dessau (1861-1923).

Mayer-Mahr was a great admirer of Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924), whom he knew personally. In 1910-1930, he recorded numerous pieces by Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, and other composers. However, his later recordings were viewed with scepticism. In 1892, he began teaching at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin and also wrote two books, Der musikalische Klavierunterricht (“The Musical Piano Lessons”) and Die Technik des Klavierspiels von den ersten Anfangen bis zur Meisterschaft (“The Technique of Piano Playing from the First Beginnings to Mastery”), which focused on pianistic techniques, form, and style, and distributed piano pieces by Johannes Brahms and etudes by Carl Czerny.

Mayer-Mahr was appointed as one of the judges of the Ibach competition for young artists at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin in 1907. He also established the Mayer-Mahr-Foundation to support his students and brought substantial donations to the foundation on his 60th birthday. However, in 1933, after the Nazis seized power in Germany, Mayer-Mahr lost his seat in the Senate of the Academy of Arts in Berlin due to his Jewish origins. He was expelled from the Reich Chamber of Music in 1935 and banned professionally in 1936. Nonetheless, he continued to teach foreigners and members of the Kulturbund Deutscher Juden. In 1937, he left the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory, appearing at events of the Kulturbund Deutscher Juden in 1937 and 1938 with other musicians. In 1938, he taught Ursula Reig, a Spanish conservatory student, free of charge, which resulted in a lawsuit from local musicians for violating the professional ban. The proceedings initially resulted in fines but were eventually dropped.

In 1940, Mayer-Mahr and his second wife, Paula née Sternberg, obtained permission to leave Germany for Norway, where they lived briefly in Vestre Aker before escaping the German occupation of Norway to Sweden, where he resumed teaching.

Uri Mayer 

Uri Mayer (b.1946), conductor and violinist, born in Targu Mures, Romania. His family immigrated to Israel and he grew up in Israel. Mayer attended the Tel Aviv Conservatory from 1958 to 1964 and studied at the Rubin Music Academy of Tel Aviv University. From 1964 to 1970, he was an assistant conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Israel. He studied conducting at the Juilliard School of Music in New York from 1968 to 1970 abd during the same time he also conducted the New York Youth Symphony, performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and was the principal violinist of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, who offered him an assistant position in 1970. Meyer became the principal violinist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1970. From 1974 to 1976, he was the musical director of the University Philharmonia and the University of Michigan's Contemporary Directions Ensemble. He then returned to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as the first violinist, and then becoming its assistant conductor in 1980. From 1981 to 1995, Mayer was the musical director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He was also the musical director of the Rice University Orchestra in Houston from 1986 to 1988 and the principal conductor of the Orchestra London Canada from 1988 to 1994. From 1991 to 1999, he was the artistic director of the Israel Sinfonietta, and from 1994 to 2000, he was the chief conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, Japan.