Surname Heidmeyer - Meaning and Origin
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Heidmeyer: What does the surname Heidmeyer mean?
The last name Heidmeyer is German in origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the word “Heide” which means “heath”, and “Meyer” which means “administrator” or “overseer”. Therefore, the last name Heidmeyer would be interpreted as meaning "overseer of the heath".
During the Middle Ages, it was common for wealthy families to own large tracts of land, called "Heiden", or heaths, which were used mostly for agricultural purposes. As a result, many people of that time were hired to manage these heaths. As such, Heidmeyer may have been one of the surnames given to these estate supervisors.
Today, the last name Heidmeyer is found predominantly throughout Germany and other parts of Northern Europe. While its original meaning of a heath overseer is mostly unknown to modern day descendants, the name reflects a long history of agricultural management and estate supervision within Germanic culture.
Order DNA origin analysisHeidmeyer: Where does the name Heidmeyer come from?
The last name Heidmeyer is most commonly found in Germany today. Over half of the people in Germany with the last name Heidmeyer live in the northern, western, or central regions of the country. The highest concentration of Heidmeyer families is in Bavaria. In Germany, Heidmeyer is the 8,124th most popular last name and there are an estimated 585 people living in Germany with the last name Heidmeyer.
The last name Heidmeyer is also quite popular in the United States today, though this is primarily due to German immigrants who moved to the US in the 19th century, or their descendants. The first Heidmeyer settlers in the US came to Pennsylvania in the 1750s and the last name can now be found in 28 states - the largest concentrations are in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. In the US, Heidmeyer is the 9,743rd most common last name.
Outside of Germany and the US, there are also a small number of Heidmeyers in Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Canada.
Variations of the surname Heidmeyer
The surname Heidmeyer has a few variant spellings and surnames of the same origin, including Heydemeyer, Heyde, Heidemeyer, Heidemeyers, Heidbrink, Heidbreder, Heldmeyer, and Heydecker.
Heidmeyer is a German surname, deriving from the old Germanic personal name Heid, which meant ‘noble’ or ‘grand’. It is also thought to have derived from the middle German word ‘heide’, meaning ‘a heathland’, and so the surname would have originally referred to someone who lived near a heathland or open land.
The variants and surnames of Heidmeyer typically start with ‘Heid’ in some form, and are often formed with the suffixes -brink, -breder, -meyer, and -decker, which all relate to place names, or places of business or activity.
The variant spellings Heydemeyer and Heyde have evolved from the older middle German word ‘heide’. The variants Heidemeyer and Heidemeyers, on the other hand, are formed by adding ‘meyer’ or ‘meyers’ to the name, which originated in Germany and means ‘mayor’ or ‘mayor of a French town’.
The variants Heidbrink, Heldmeyer, and Heydecker are formed by adding ‘brink’, ‘meyer’ or ‘decker’ to the name, the suffixes of which originate from Old Germanic words relating to location or profession. ‘Brink’ was a word which originally meant ‘end of a road’, while ‘meyer’ implies somebody of power or high rank in a place, and ‘decker’ was a popular German occupational name relating to a carpenter or builder.
Famous people with the name Heidmeyer
- Gordon Heidmeyer: Current CEO of Mack Trucks
- Ben Heidmeyer: Music Producer and Session Drummer
- Karl Heidmeyer: Professional Bass Player
- Alice Heidmeyer: Long Distance Runner and Olympic Medalist
- Werner Heidmeyer: Award Winning Violinist
- Dieter Heidmeyer: Professional Soccer Player
- Max Heidmeyer: Professional Cyclist
- Stella Heidmeyer: Actor and TV Personality
- Andrea Heidmeyer: Classical Pianist
- Otto Heidmeyer: Karate Master and Instructor