English word origin

Etymology of Meir

Perhaps from Old English mere (“pool, lake”), similar to the surname Mears.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

An outer suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England (OS grid ref SJ9342).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Perhaps from Old English mere (“pool, lake”), similar to the surname Mears.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionmereang · pool, lake

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "mere",
        "t": "pool, lake"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English mere (“pool, lake”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mere",
      "mere#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "Mears",
      "Mears#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An outer suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England (OS grid ref SJ9342)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e305c5919c2803d44ef881faad36f48692a16ac88b6c1de50b814390ed4ba3db",
      "rawRecordSha256": "93f85249e641fcd902d82e7b212978052aeffe88076d08a98049962b4c8ef3d3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 7932754
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Hebrew.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As a Jewish surname, borrowed from Hebrew מֵאִיר (me'ír). Compare Meyer. * As an English surname, variant of Mayer, Mear, Mears.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionמֵאִירhe

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "מֵאִיר",
        "tr": "me'ír"
      },
      "expansion": "Hebrew מֵאִיר (me'ír)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "מֵאִיר",
      "מאיר#Hebrew"
    ],
    [
      "Meyer",
      "Meyer#English"
    ],
    [
      "Mayer",
      "Mayer#English"
    ],
    [
      "Mear",
      "Mear#English"
    ],
    [
      "Mears",
      "Mears#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Hebrew."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f17c3529050ce62eb6cdbdff25abbd2882669cb19849394bb9fc94896a965137",
      "rawRecordSha256": "36229b9930473132f0aff495decaee629c26340bdccf19e1e1d815c4cc3bdc78",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 7932755
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Meir →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-TWVpcg