An English, Scottish and German surname, Mayer comes from the Latin term ‘magnus’ which means the great one. From the High German the term ‘meior’ referred to a major, someone in a higher position. The spelling variations for Mayer including Meyer, Major, Mair, Magor, Maer, Meier, Meior, Meir, Myer, Mayor, Mier and Meijer. The common German spellings are Maier and Meier. In England the Mayer family name is scattered across most of the country. The higher populations with the Mayer name are located in the city of London, Staffordshire and Lancashire. In Scotland most with the Mayer surname are concentrated in the central regions of Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Midlothian, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire. Within the United States the Mayer families originated in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey. Famous: John Clayton Mayer (musician, music producer and songwriter and singer), Louis Burt Mayer (major movie film producer), Bernadette Mayer (poet and writer), Christopher Mayer (actor), Leonardo Mayer (professional tennis player from Argentina), Timmy and Teddy Mayer (brother, both champion race car drivers), Robert Mayer (champion ice hockey player), Peter Mayer (publisher), Martin Mayer (nonfiction writer) and Edwin Justus Mayer (film screenwriter).