Maier

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 4 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Maier is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish surname23K records spelled Maier3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Argentina, United States, Spain, Chile

  Languages: Spanish, Italian

  Also written Maïer

• Portuguese surname13K records spelled Maier4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, United States, Switzerland, Romania

  Also written Mäier, Maiér, Maĭer

• French surname8.0K records spelled Maier5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Spain, Switzerland

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Maïer, Maiér, Maĭer

• a separate surname5.3K records spelled Maier6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland

  Also written Maïer, Maĭer, Mäier

• Russian surname4.7K records spelled Maier63 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Czechia

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Czech

  Also written Майер, Мейер, Маєр, Майєр, Mayer

47 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Maier is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• This surname is also estabhshed in Italy.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In German, a surname originating as an occupation, variant of Meier

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In German, Zu mhd. meier ‘Verwalter, Pächter; Hofbauer’, aus lat. maior ‘größer’; Typ zeigt Diphthongvarianz ai/ay/ei/ey. Belegt mit 36096 Namensträgern.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 1: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen I, Vokalismus

• In German, Berufsname zu ahd. meior/meiger 'Meier, Oberbauer'; belegt mit 36096. Map zeigt ai-Variante neben ei im Vokalismus.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 1: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen I, Vokalismus

• In German, Berufsname zu Meier/Meyer (Verwalter, Hofbeamter); die Karte zeigt Haupttonvokalismus mit ai/ay/ei/ey in den Schreibungen.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 1: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen I, Vokalismus

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

FR INSEE — Fichier des noms de famille (1891–2000) — 11 years between 1891–1991. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Amanda Röntgen-Maierb. 1853SESwedish musician (1853–1894)
• Reinhold Maierb. 1889DEGerman politician (1889–1971)
• Vivian Maierb. 1926USFrench-American photographer (1926–2009)
• Sepp Maierb. 1944DEGerman association football player and coach, goalkeeper (born 1944)
• Brigitte Maierb. 1952DEPorn actress, adult model (1952–2010)
• Tomas Maierb. 1957DEGerman fashion designer
• Hermann Maierb. 1972ATAustrian alpine skier
• Leonie Maierb. 1992DEGerman footballer
• Sebastian Maierb. 1993DEGerman footballer
• Arne Maierb. 1999DEGerman association football player

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 89 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Maier?

We estimate roughly 29 thousand people bear Maier (counting its spellings and scripts) across 14 countries in our records.

In which country does Maier have the most bearers?

Maier is most frequently recorded in Germany, where it is most often spelled maier.

How common is Maier compared with other names?

In Germany, Maier is the 37th most common surname of 734,811 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Maier mean?

Recorded meaning: Plate shows o/ö vowel variation in this surname type.