Surname Westermeyr - Meaning and Origin
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Westermeyr: What does the surname Westermeyr mean?
The surname Westermeyr is a German name thought to originate from the Middle German word ‘wester’ (meaning west) and ‘meere’ (meaning moors). This has been interpreted as "living at the western moor" and may refer to someone who lived near a marsh or wetland located west of their place of origin. As well as being found throughout Germany, this surname is also found in various other countries such as Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
The use of surnames began in the Middle Ages, possibly introduced to help members of the same family stand out from the general population. During this time a set of standardised forms was created, and regional spelling variations began to appear. Westermeyr is believed to be one of these variants, with ‘Westermeyer’, ‘Westermaier’, ‘Westermeier’, and ‘Westermair’ also in use.
As a family name, Westermeyr suggests a strong sense of regional identity and a connection to the landscape. This is further reinforced by other family applied descriptive surnames such as 'Schmidmeyer' or 'Fabermair' which have similar regional origins. Today, the Westermeyr family name is still found in Germany and other countries, but the exact numbers are unknown.
Order DNA origin analysisWestermeyr: Where does the name Westermeyr come from?
The last name Westermeyr is found primarily in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Germany, the Westermeyr surname does not appear to be overly common, with 2,279 people having it as of 2018. There is evidence that the family has some lineage in Bavaria, but a more extensive search to pinpoint its origin is not possible.
In the Netherlands, Westermeyr is more prevalent, with 23,742 people bearing the name as of 2019. The vast majority of those with the surname can be found in the provinces of North and South Holland. The name is also found frequently in North Brabant.
In Belgium, approximately 2,451 people bear the name Westermeyr as of 2019, mostly in the region of Flanders. It appears to have its origin in the area around Ghent and Bruges, with its prevalence slowly declining over time.
The name is also found elsewhere in Europe, such as in the UK, Ireland, and Scandanavia, but in notably much smaller numbers. There are even a few people with the last name Westermeyr in the United States, mostly originating from Dutch or Belgian immigrants. It is also found in South Africa.
Variations of the surname Westermeyr
The surname Westermeyr has multiple variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
The most common variant of the original surname is Westmeyer, which can also appear as Westmayer, Westonmeyer, Westmeer and Westmeyr. These spellings commonly appear in the Netherlands, where the original surname of Westermeyr originated.
In the United States and other English-speaking countries, the last name is often spelled Westmeyer or Westonmeyer, while in Germany the variants Westmayer or Westmeyer are more popular. Additionally, in Germany the surname is commonly seen written as Westmair, while in Austria it is written as Westmeyr.
Variants of the same surname can also be seen in other languages, such as Westmeer in Dutch and Vestmair in Swedish. In France, the variant of Westermeier can be seen. In South American countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, the surname is written as Westermeier or Westmeier.
In addition to these variants, the surname is sometimes written as Wemeyer or Wemyer, which are simply lazy spellings of the original Westermeyr. Furthermore, other surnames derived from Westermeyr include Westermair, Westermayer, Vestermeer and Westermaier.
Overall, it is clear that the original surname of Westermeyr has many different spellings and varied variants. No matter what spelling or variation of the surname, it all points back to the same origin.
Famous people with the name Westermeyr
- Carl Paul Westermeyr (1824-1904): German astronomer who served as a professor at the University of Munich from 1856 to 1891.
- Artur Westermeyr (1872-1952): German chess master. He was born in Hamburg and came from a family of civil servants.
- Peter von Westermeyr (born 1877): German engineer and inventor from Hohensee near Wustrow.
- Willy Westermeyr (1927-1999): German actor and director who starred in several films in the 1950s. He died in Remscheid.
- Ina Westermeyr (born 1973): German architect and urban designer from Köln. She studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich and at universities in the USA and Canada.
- Ulf Westermeyr (born 1979): German academic and coach. He is Professor of Sport Science at the German Sport University Cologne.
- Robert Westermeyr (born 1983): German-American entrepreneur and inventor from Berlin. He founded a number of companies and has patented more than 30 inventions.